PM Oct 7th Isa 29

October 7^th                    Isaiah,  29         Jerusalem’s woe

1: Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. 2: Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 3: And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 4: And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 5: Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 6: Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7: And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8: It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

Israel’s blindness

9: Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10: For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 11: And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 12: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. 13: Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Hope of restoration

15: Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16: Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? 17: Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? 18: And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 19: The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20: For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: 21: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. 22: Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. 23: But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 24: They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Isaiah,  30         Egypt will not help you Israel

1: Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3: Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 4: For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5: They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 6: The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. 7: For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. 8: Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: 9: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 10: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 12: Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 13: Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14: And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. 15: For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. 16: But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. 17: One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. 18: And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

The Lord will prosper his people

19: For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. 20: And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22: Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23: Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. 24: The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. 25: And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26: Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Assyria punished by the Lord

27: Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: 28: And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. 29: Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. 30: And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. 31: For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. 32: And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. 33: For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Today we are reading Isaiah chapter 29 and 30. In Chapter 29 Isaiah brings to Israel a prophecy regarding Jerusalem and Lebanon. The message is a woe of forth coming judgment. The city is called Ariel (The place where fire burns – the altar-hearth. The place for burnt offerings.) He says though you will kill sacrifices yet you will have distress, heaviness and sorrow. The Lord will camp against them and besiege them. The city will be brought down to the dust. The LORD will bring thunder, earthquake, great noise, storm and a devouring flame. All the nations that fight against Israel will be like a bad dream in comparison. The Lord will pour out a spirit of deep sleep and blindness on Israel. This vision is like a sealed book to Israel which men give to others to ask them to read it, But they answer we cant read it because the scroll is sealed. The scroll is given to an illiterate man but he cannot read it. Then Isaiah says something that Christ quotes from saying this people come near to me with their mouths but their minds are far from me. The only fear they have is fear of the teaching of men. Then the Lord says that the Lord will do an amazing thing the wisdom of the wise will become foolishness and the understanding of the wise men will be hidden. Then another woe – To those who refuse to seek the Lords guidance. They says the Lord doesn’t know and so who knows what we do. They will turn the truth on its head. They will say, will the clay say why did you turn me upside down? In a little while Lebanon will be turned into fruitfulness. The deaf will hear and the blind will see. The meek will be full of the joy of the LORD and the poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel – Christ. This brings the Beatitudes into a new light. The Terrible one –antichrist is brought to nothing and the scorner is consumed and all those who look for new ways to sin are destroyed by the Lord. Then v22 the Lord speaks saying Jacob will never be ashamed, nor frightened, but Jacob (in resurrection) will see his children who sanctify the Lords name and the Holy One of Jacob – Christ. Those that went astray will be brought to understanding and those that murmured will learn true teaching. Isaiah chapter 30v1-17 is a passage in which He describes the Egyptian league. They take counsel against the Lord and seek to make a separate peace with Egypt. The Lord will bring them to shame. The Lord will make any help from Egypt to fail. He describes them as rebels, liars and refusing to hear the law of the LORD. They forbid the prophets to speak to word of the Lord but only to tell smooth things and lies. Then the lord himself – Christ will speak. He will rule them and break them like a potters vessel. Those that do return will be saved, (From judgment) they will have peace and confidence and this will strengthen them. But they will not return. The LORD will wait v18 until he will be able to be gracious to them. He will have mercy on them because he is a God of Judgment and all who wait on him will be blessed. The people of Zion will find the Grace of God and when they call on the Lord even though they don’t deserve it he will answer them. This is describing when Israel enters into the New Covenant. They will then not need anymore teachers but the Spirit of the Lord will be their direct supernatural guide. They will finally forever turn from their idols as an abomination. The Lord will send them rain and fruitfulness. Every high hill will have its own rivers and streams of waters in that day, when there was a great slaughter when the towers will fall. Then Isaiah brings something very unusual he says the light of the moon will be as bright at the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter. This will be in the Day that the Lord converts Israel and heals them. Then having dealt with Israel the Lord will turn to judge the nations Matt 25. The Lord will destroy the Assyrians. The army of Assyria will be destroyed by God by great fire burning them up.