How we can know God isn’t acting now as he acted against Pharaoh. JIM DENISON|
A prominent church where I live put up a billboard that drew citywide attention: “Is the coronavirus a judgment from God?” This is the most common question I’ve been asked since the pandemic began.
It’s easy to quote the Bible in support of such positions, from plagues in Egypt to the destruction of Jerusalem to the Book of Revelation’s prediction that the world will be judged with “pestilence.”
However, these are not those days. We can know this for two reasons.
First, biblical judgments through disease are supernatural in origin.
When God sent “boils” on Egypt, they broke out instantly “on man and beast” throughout the land. The “pestilence” of Revelation will come by one of the “four horsemen of the apocalypse,” not a wet market in Wuhan.
Everything scientists can tell us about COVID-19 is that the virus evolved from other viruses. It is natural, not supernatural. God did not cause this virus or the pandemic it has created. Like other natural diseases and disasters, it is a consequence of living in a fallen world.
Second, biblical judgments are against specific sins and sinners.
From Pharaoh’s obstinacy to Miriam’s racial prejudice to Herod’s prideful idolatry, divine judgments of the past and future come to those who refuse his word and will. Throughout Scripture and history, God deals with us as gently as he can or as harshly as he must.
No specific sins caused this virus. Nor are those who are afflicted with it more sinful than the rest of us. God loves the Chinese people just as much as he loves Italians, Koreans, and Americans. He loves the elderly and those with preexisting conditions just as much as he loves the young and the healthy.
One fact this pandemic emphasizes is that we are all part of one race—the human race. And we are all in this together.
While God did not cause this pandemic, neither has he left us to face it alone.
He is with health care workers as they risk their lives to care for patients. He is with grocery workers and delivery drivers as they serve those who can stay safely at home because of their sacrifice. He is with those who are now unemployed and those who would shelter at home if they had one.
He is with patients who suffer and families who grieve. As Jesus wept for Lazarus, so he weeps with us and for us.
And God is doing more than hurting with us—he is redeeming this tragedy in amazing ways.
We’re seeing an outpouring of financial generosity unprecedented in my lifetime. We’re watching churches and agencies that would never have cooperated two months ago working together to save lives. Millions of people around the world are sacrificing their incomes by staying home to protect people they don’t know.
In the season of Passover, Jews around the world were thanking God for their deliverance from Egypt. When Ramadan begins next week, Muslims around the world will thank God for the Qur’an. Christians recently observed Good Friday and celebrated Easter as we thanked God for our Savior.
Our monotheistic faiths differ in foundational ways, but we share this belief in common: God is with us. As a song I learned in my childhood reminds us: He didn’t bring us this far to leave us.
“Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, ’The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob’ “ (Isa. 48:20).Hope for us as for ancient Israel rests entirely on the incomparable nature of our God.
Background
The historical section in Isaiah 36–39 closes with the account of Isaiah’s denunciation of Hezekiah for welcoming Babylon’s envoys. These chapters serve to illustrate Isaiah 1–35. But they also serve as a bridge introducing us to Isaiah 40–66. For suddenly Isaiah seemed catapulted a hundred years ahead in time. The Babylonian invasion was past, and the Jews were captives in a strange land. Yet Isaiah spoke words of comfort, confidently describing the destruction of Babylon and the salvation of God’s people. The nation will yet be redeemed, and God’s purposes in His people will be fulfilled. The theory that one or more different persons wrote the second half of Isaiah is rooted in the viewpoint of chapters 40–66. In the first half of Isaiah, Assyria is the main enemy, and the prophet’s message is a grim oracle of judgment. In chapters 40–66 Babylon, which has conquered Judah, is about to be judged, and Cyrus, her Persian conqueror, is named. Rather than the darkness of impending judgment, these later chapters are bright with the confident hope of restoration. Yet the idea that Isaiah wrote both sections poses no great problem for those who take a repeated message found in chapters 40–66 seriously. The God who spoke through Isaiah is fully able to “declare to us the things to come” and to “tell us what the future holds” (41:22–23; 45:21). Speaking by the Spirit of God Isaiah, like other ancient Hebrew prophets, was transported beyond his own time. His words of comfort and hope were rooted in the sure conviction of what God would do, not what He had already done. Some of the most powerful and exalted passages in the entire Bible are found in these chapters of comfort. These passages can fill us too with hope. They remind us as they reminded ancient Israel of just how wonderful and how loving our God is.
Overview
Judah’s sovereign Lord intends good for His people (40:1–31). God, not the idols worshiped by the nations, controls the future (41:1–29). Though Israel failed its national calling as God’s servant, One from the nation will fulfill God’s purpose (42:1–25) when the Creator acts to redeem His chosen people (43:1–44:25). As evidence, God will appoint one named Cyrus to restore Jerusalem (v. 26–45:25). Oppressive Babylon will be crushed, and God’s word of blessing for Israel will be fulfilled (46:1–48:22).
Understanding the Text
“Here is your God” Isa. 40:1–31.
The first time I traveled in the western America, I couldn’t believe the sky. It seemed so big. I had to keep looking to the left and right to take it all in. This is something like Isaiah’s treatment here of God. He is so big, Isaiah has us look to the left and the right to try to take Him in. Looking left, Isaiah described a God “enthroned above the circle of the earth” to whom the nations seem “like a drop in a bucket” (vv. 6–26). Looking left, we are simply overwhelmed by the awesome greatness of God’s power and mighty strength. Then Isaiah has us look right, and we see the Creator stoop down to touch the individual, and give “strength to the weary.” Because ours is a God who not only creates but who also cares, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (vv. 27–31). “Here is My servant, whom I uphold” Isa. 42:1–25. There are two “servants” in Isaiah. One is Israel (cf. vv. 8–10), which failed to accomplish God’s purpose. The other, introduced here, is the Messiah. This Servant, who is to come from God’s failed servant, “will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth” (v. 4). As a “covenant for the people” this Servant will Himself be the foundation on which Israel will build its future—a future which includes salvation for the Gentiles as well as the descendants of Abraham (vv. 6–7). In context Isaiah’s message about the coming Servant of the Lord is intended for comfort and hope. But it is also a challenge. God’s Old Testament people were called to do justice, and by holy living to be “a light for the Gentiles.” In fact, every believer of every age is to be just this kind of servant of the Lord. We must do justice, live holy lives, and bring the light of a hope that releases “from the [spiritual] dungeon those who sit in darkness” (v. 7). Jesus has fulfilled God’s commission as “the” Servant of the Lord. Now you and I are called to be servants too. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you” Isa. 43:1–28. Like other chapters in this section, Isaiah 43 is rich in verses that invite memorization. Here are a few from this chapter, crafted to comfort us. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (vv. 1–2). I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more (v. 25). “I will raise up Cyrus” Isa. 45:1–25. One of the basic sources of comfort for the believer is the conviction that God is in complete control of events. The theme is illustrated by God’s act in naming Cyrus, long before his birth, and announcing that Cyrus will be given a “title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me” (vv. 1–7). Whether or not the great ones of our present world honor God, He alone is the source of their existence and position. The theme is demonstrated by Creation. The universe knows only one all-powerful Being, who “made the earth and created mankind upon it” (vv. 8–17). Surely the Creator has full power to mold those who are works of His hands into whatever form He chooses. The theme is confirmed by God’s unique self-existence. In a universe in which men worship idols, there is “none but Me” who is able to save, who utters a word “that will not be revoked,” and who will ultimately receive the homage of all (vv. 18–25). God is in control of world events—and of the days of our lives. Because He is, and because the Lord is “a righteous God and a Saviour” (v. 21), we face the future with confidence and hope. “I foretold the former things long ago” Isa. 48:3–8. Some people will always try to drain religion of the supernatural. It was true in Isaiah’s day, and it’s true in our day as well. We can almost hear frustration in the prophet’s voice as God spoke to Judah through him: “I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. . . . You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them?” There is no more compelling evidence for the supernatural origin and authority of the Scriptures than fulfilled prophecy. Time and time again the Bible records the prediction of some prophet—and hundreds or thousands of years later what is predicted is fulfilled in detail. Yet, time and time again, some struggle to find excuses not to admit what God has said and done. The skeptic finds no comfort in Scripture because he or she will not believe in an all-powerful God who acts in the world of men. The believer rejoices and finds a firm foundation of his or her hope. “Your peace would have been like a river” Isa. 48:17–22. The person who fails to trust God’s Word completely forfeits more than comfort. He or she forfeits peace. God said through Isaiah, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” He added, “If only you had paid attention” then “your peace would have been like a river.” The person who abandons confidence in the Word of God will soon abandon God’s commands as well. When that happens, he or she will discover that “there is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” Trust in God’s Word is not simply an intellectual issue. It is one of the pivotal issues of faith and life.
DEVOTIONAL
Bigger Than Me(Isa. 44)
This chapter contains the Bible’s classic exposé of idolatry. It pictures a workman forging an idol of metal or carving it from wood. And it ridicules the idol-maker, who sees no contradiction in burning half the wood of a tree he cut down to cook his food, and then praying to the remaining block of wood, “Save me; you are my god.” But the idol-maker is ridiculous. He wants someone or something to save him. But he chooses something he himself has made to serve as a god. “Give me a god,” the idol-maker seems to say. “But don’t give me a god bigger than me. Give me a god I can control: one I can make out of a tree I cut down; one I can shape to suit myself.” In biblical times evidence of idolatry lay all around. You could see and touch the metal or wooden figures of the gods. Today we like to think man has progressed beyond idolatry. But in fact, the very same attitude dominates the thinking of many in this “scientific” age. No, we don’t have metal or wooden figures. But we do have computers. We do have spaceships. We do have hydrogen bombs and rockets. We have many such works of our own hands, and all too often humanity says to these things man himself has created, “Save me. Save me. I’m counting on you to deliver me.” And then God’s Word comes to our generation. He reminds us that our craftsmen too “are nothing but men.” To have confidence in things that we have made is the essence of idolatry. It is to exchange hope in the living God for hope in dumb, silent works of our own hands. Mankind does want gods. But gods that are under human control. When we meet the God of Scripture, we meet a God who is bigger than we. Then we abandon our attempts to control Him—and joyfully submit to the loving-kindness and the guidance of a living God.
Personal Application
An idol is anything less than God that you expect to save you.
Quotable
“The calves of Jeroboam still remain in the world, and will remain to the last day; not that any man now makes calves like Jeroboam’s, but upon whatsoever a man depends or trusts—God set aside—this is the calves of Jeroboam, that is, other and strange gods, honored and worshiped instead of the only, true, living, and eternal God, who only can and will help and comfort in time of need. In like manner also, all such as rely and depend upon their art, wisdom, strength, sanctity, riches, honor, power, or anything else, under what title or name soever, on which the world builds, make and worship the calves of Jeroboam.”—Martin Luther
“I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came” (Isa. 37:29).We can have every confidence that the biblical vision of history’s end will come to pass. The past demonstrates that God truly is in charge of events, despite the pretentions of this world’s great men.
Background
Sennacherib’s forces invaded Judah in 701B.C Assyrian annals report that he laid siege to 46 walled cities and forts, and “shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem like a bird in its cage.” Jerusalem seemed sure to fall. But, as these chapters relate, the Assyrian forces suddenly withdrew, and the city was saved. Why are these historical chapters inserted here, between two collections of Isaiah’s prophecies? In the first 35 chapters of this greatest of Old Testament prophetic works, Isaiah proclaimed God’s sovereignty. He announced that in God’s time the Lord would deliver His people and will punish the pagan nations that had oppressed them. But God’s time, identified as “that day” or “the day of the Lord,” must have seemed distant and even unreal to many in Judah. It’s easy to say God’s dominion extends over this world as well as over the spiritual realm. But as long as expressions of that dominion are relegated to the distant future, there is no proof. But there was proof that Isaiah spoke the truth; proof available in the prophet’s own day! The Assyrians invaded Judah in overwhelming force. Yet when Hezekiah prayed, God through Isaiah promised to deliver Jerusalem—and did! The events reported in Isaiah 36–39 draw together the key themes of the first 35 chapters of Isaiah in such a way as to demonstrate the validity of each! It is these themes and their demonstration that convey God’s personal message to His people, today as well as in Isaiah’s time.
Overview
Sennacherib’s delegation called on Judah to surrender rather than trust in God (36:1–22). Isaiah predicted the invasion would be turned back, despite Assyrian threats (37:1–13). Hezekiah prayed (vv. 14–20), and was given specific promises, relayed by Isaiah (vv. 21–38). Hezekiah recovered from a near-fatal illness (38:1–22), but was rebuked for showing Babylonian envoys Judah’s wealth (39:1–8).
Understanding the Text
“On what are you basing this confidence of yours?” Isa. 36:1–22
Sennacherib’s field commander called for Jerusalem’s surrender. Again and again he challenged Hezekiah, who lacked the trained men to serve as cavalry even if the Assyrians would supply the horses! Did they depend on Egypt? Or on God? None of the gods of other peoples were able to protect their lands against Assyria’s military might. “How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” The attitude expressed by the Assyrian commander is that of scoffers through the ages. “God” may exist somewhere “out there.” He may be important to us “bye and bye.” But He is irrelevant now, for He is powerless to act in the material universe. To have confidence in God when facing overwhelming odds makes no sense to such people. Many in Judah undoubtedly felt just this way. As we’ve seen, Isaiah’s ministry was to a people who were “ever hearing, but never understanding” (6:9–10). All his talk about the sovereign power of God, all his promises of future redemption, all his words of warning seemed like nonsense to the majority. “On what are you basing this confidence of yours?” As events unfolded, it became clear that Isaiah’s and King Hezekiah’s confidence was rightly placed—in God. These chapters remind us. There are no circumstances we can imagine which can limit God’s power to save. “Do not be afraid of what you have heard” Isa. 37:1–13. Hezekiah asked Isaiah for a word from God, and received it. But the Assyrians continued to bombard the king with threats and ridicule. Forty-six of Judah’s forts had fallen to Assyria. Why should Jerusalem be different? “God” is a nice notion, a comforting concept. But the Assyrians possessed the greatest military force the world had known. No “god” had ever been able to resist Assyria’s forces. It’s strange, but most Christians find it easier to withstand open hostility than ridicule. When people rage at our faith in God, we resist. But when people laugh at our beliefs, many believers crumble. Hezekiah responded in exactly the right way. Rather than crumble or feel shame, he went directly to God and said, “Lord, they’re ridiculing You.”This is the key that frees us to stand before any ridicule from our contemporaries. We need to realize that others are not scoffing at us, but at God. We need to turn to Him, seeing Him as “God over all the kingdoms of the earth,” who “made heaven and earth.” And we need to say, “Lord, they’re insulting You.”How does this enable us to stand? It reminds us of who our God is, and how foolish scoffers are. And it shifts responsibility to respond to ridicule away from us, to God Himself. Like Hezekiah, we can then wait patiently for Him to act. “He will not . . . shoot an arrow here” Isa. 37:21–38. God’s answer to Hezekiah’s prayer was a specific promise. The vast Assyrian army was just a few miles away from Jerusalem. Yet not only would Sennacherib be barred from the city, his soldiers would not even be permitted to fire a single arrow over Jerusalem’s walls! Then God intervened, and the Assyrian army suffered a vast number of mysterious deaths in a single night. Greek historian Herodotus, writing hundreds of years later, reports a garbled account of the event that he learned while visiting Egypt. Suddenly even the most dull of Judah’s people must have realized it. God is not irrelevant at all! God is sovereign. Every word from His mouth is as certain to be fulfilled as if it had already come to pass (vv. 36–37). “I have heard your prayer” Isa. 38:1–22. God is master of the fate of nations. But is this sovereign God concerned with the fate of individuals? Isaiah now included a report of Hezekiah’s struggle with a fatal illness. The heartbroken king begged God for added years of life, pleading that “I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion.” God answered this prayer, and promised Hezekiah 15 added years. The story is placed here in part because it shows that God is concerned with each person. But more importantly, it shows that the plea of a righteous person can turn aside divine judgment, even after that judgment has been announced (cf. v. 1). This has been one of the major themes of Isaiah 1–35. Despite Israel’s sin, God had called again and again for spiritual renewal. Despite predictions of judgment, a heartfelt return to the Lord would bring blessing instead. Hezekiah, Judah’s righteous king, showed the way for his whole land.
DEVOTIONAL
A Tough Teacher(Isa. 38–39)
Ray Rubinski, one of the teachers at Gulf High where my wife teaches 11th-grade English, stopped her in the hall one day. Sue was wearing a black skirt, white blouse, and rather severe black bow. “Sue,” Ray said, only half-kidding, “I wish you wouldn’t wear that outfit. It reminds me of the nuns who used to beat my hand with a ruler when I was a kid in Catholic school.” Some of the nuns in old-time parochial schools did have a reputation. I suppose some of them earned it. But if you want to meet a real tough teacher, get introduced to history. Her lessons can change your life. But if you fail to learn from history, you’re really in trouble! Hezekiah teaches us an important history lesson. He listened to Isaiah’s words about God’s sovereignty, and trusted the Lord to remove the Assyrian threat. God did. When Hezekiah became sick, he recalled what God had said through Isaiah about the Lord’s willingness to restore the godly, even after judgment had been announced. So Hezekiah called on God, pleading his godly life. And the Lord did heal, even though He had earlier announced that Hezekiah would die. But then Hezekiah slipped. Isaiah had also spoken of Babylon as an enemy of God’s people. Yet when envoys from Babylon came to “congratulate” the king on his recovery, Hezekiah showed them every one of his royal treasures. A furious Isaiah announced that the day was coming when the Babylonians would carry Hezekiah’s treasures and his descendants into Captivity. What is the lesson in Hezekiah’s personal history? Simply this. We need to take all of God’s words to heart. We can’t just believe the parts we like, and claim the promises we want fulfilled. We need to pay close attention to every message of the Word, for forgetting any words or choosing not to hear can cause us trouble indeed. History is a good teacher. It provides proof that God is real, and is trustworthy. But history is a tough teacher too. If we fail to learn its lessons, we will surely experience its consequences in our lives.
Personal Application
Learn from Hezekiah to pay attention to every word of God.
Quotable
“There are four things that we ought to do with the Word of God—admit it as the Word of God, commit it to our hearts and minds, submit to it, and transmit it to the world.”—William Wilberforce
“For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause” (Isa. 34:8).Beyond the troubles glory waits. What these chapters tell us is that faith enables believers to live safely even while the consuming fire burns.
Overview
God is a sure foundation for our times (33:1–9) and hope for our future (vv. 10–24). Isaiah contrasted the judgment that will devastate the nations, represented by Edom (34:1–17), with the joy awaiting the redeemed (35:1–10).
Understanding the Text
“Be our strength every morning” Isa. 33:1–9.
God is a sure foundation for every time, “a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.” But we must use a key to open that storehouse, to enjoy its bounty. The text says, “The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” As we’ve seen, “fear” of God is a reverential awe that keeps us aware of Him at all times. Our awareness that God is, and that He is sovereign, gives us confidence even in the most uncertain of times. “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?” Isa. 33:10–16 Isaiah pictured God, rising as a monarch from His throne to set out for war (v. 10). This terrified the sinners of Zion (v. 14), who despair of surviving the consuming fires of God’s judgment, and they cried out, “Who of us can dwell with [survive] the consuming fire?” They did not expect an answer. But Isaiah provided one. “He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil.” These words contain no promise that the believer will be immune to trouble in those times when God judges a nation. When the bombs fall, the believer and unbeliever alike will be without electricity and fresh water. No, to “dwell with the consuming fire” is to maintain a hope that contrasts with the despair of the wicked. The righteous take refuge in God, and have faith that no matter how grim life’s circumstances, God will supply the necessities to maintain life (v. 16). “Nothing there to be called a kingdom” Isa. 34:1–17. The contrast drawn here is between civilization and wilderness. Between nature tamed by man and fields returned to the wild. The nations that God would judge refused to respond to the Lord. Their lands would be returned to the birds and the beasts. The scroll here is the prophecy found in the preceding verses. Everything God says will happen will come to pass. What God has ordained is certain. It’s striking that Scripture so often contrasts cultivated fields and wilderness when calling up visions of blessing and judgment. God really did create our earth to be the home of man. “It will burst into bloom” Isa. 35:1–10. This brief chapter concludes the first book of Isaiah. These chapters have drawn dark pictures of divine judgment, with brief flashes of light. But this final chapter glows with warmth and hope. Some of the most beautiful and best known of Isaiah’s images are found here. For some 10 years I lived in Arizona, in desert country. Dry and parched for so much of the year, the desert literally burst into bloom with the fall rains. The dominant tans and browns suddenly disappeared and in their place was a warm green, decorated with a riot of delicate colors. What a vision of the future God has in mind for earth, and for us. All that is dry and parched in our lives will soak in His rain. Then we too will rejoice and blossom, for our lives will reflect the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. “Steady the knees that give way” Isa. 35:3–4. When you and I feel weak and overcome, we find strength in this thought: “Your God will come.” While others shrink back in terror, we rejoice at the thought. He comes with retribution for them, but to save us. “Then” (Isa. 35:5–10). The concluding words of Isaiah are so vivid that they speak for themselves. No comment can do them justice. The prophet shared what God’s coming will mean for us, His people, in verses 5–10.
DEVOTIONAL
Upon the Burning of Our House(Isa. 33)
On July 10, 1660, the house of Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet burned to the ground, leaving her destitute of earthly possessions. She shares the pain she felt in a poignant poem bearing the title of this devotional. When by the ruins oft I past My sorrowing eyes aside did cast, And here and there the places spy Where oft I sat and long did lie: Here stood that trunk, and there that chest, There lay that store I counted best. My pleasant things in ashes lie, And them behold no more shall I. Anne understood the pain that always accompanies the loss of familiar and precious possessions. Anne understood, and expressed, the pain felt by believers of every era who must live through a period when God arises to judge their societies. But Anne also understood the secret of dwelling among the consuming fires that burn then. Her poem continues: Raise up thy thoughts above the sky That dunghill mists away may fly. Thou hast an house on high erect, Framed by that mighty Architect, With glory richly furnished. Stands permanent though this be fled. It’s purchased and paid for too By Him who hath enough to do. A price so vast as is unknown Yet by His gift is made thine own; There’s wealth enough, I need no more. Farewell my self, farewell my store. The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above. The secret? To realize that the fires can burn only what is destined to pass away. And to remember that what God has purchased for His own stands permanent, though all in this world be fled.
Personal Application
Treasures in heaven free us from despair when we lose earthly possessions.
Quotable
“Beware of an overconcern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”—Rudyard Kipling
“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
This is my personal collection of thoughts and writings, mainly from much smarter people than I, which challenge me in my discipleship walk. Don't rush by these thoughts, but ponder them.
Milo 