PM Oct 8th Isa 31

October 8^th                    Isaiah,  31         Egypt is weak

1: Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! 2: Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3: Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. 4: For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. 5: As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. 6: Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. 7: For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. 8: Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. 9: And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

 

Isaiah,  32         The Righteous King

1: Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. 2: And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 3: And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 4: The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 5: The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. 6: For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7: The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. 8: But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

Judgement and restoration

9: Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. 10: Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. 11: Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. 12: They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13: Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: 14: Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 15: Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. 16: Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. 17: And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 18: And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; 19: When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. 20: Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Isaiah,  33         Salvation in the Lord

1: Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. 2: O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3: At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. 4: And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. 5: The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. 6: And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. 7: Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 8: The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. 9: The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. 10: Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. 11: Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 12: And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. 13: Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 14: The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15: He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; 16: He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

Israel’s glorious future

17: Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. 18: Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? 19: Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand. 20: Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21: But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 22: For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. 23: Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. 24: And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Today we are reading Isaiah 31, 32 & 33. Chapter 31 is the forth of the six woes. And this time Isaiah is speaking about those who leave Israel and go down to Egypt, they are apostates. They turn their back on the Holy One of Israel – Christ and they do not seek the LORD. The LORD will reject them. The Egyptians are just men not the Lord and their horses are flesh not spirit. The Lord will defend Jerusalem and Idolatry will be forever cast away by Israel. In Chapter 32 Isaiah describes the Righteous King Jehovah – Christ. He will reign in righteousness and his princes will rule in judgment. A man (probably this is an Israelite) will be a shelter from the wind and hiding place from a storm. Like rivers in a dry place and the shadow of a rock in a dry and weary land. Those that see them will not be dim and those who hear them will listen. The impatient will become wise and the man with a speech impediment will become a clear speaker. The vile person will become known for his lifestyle. They will do all sorts of evil things. Isaiah calls on the women to put on sackcloth and seek the Lord. The land itself will bring up thorns and briers. The cities and palaces will be deserted forever. This will occur up until the Spirit of the Lord is poured out and then everything will burst into fruitfulness. Righteousness and peace will bring assurance for ever. The Lords people will have secure towns and houses. Isaiah chapter 33 is about the Assyrian enemy that comes into the land to rob it. From v1-12 he says that they will come with false motives and empty promises. The Lords people will call on the Lord for help (salvation) in their time of trouble. They will come into the land like locusts but the LORD is exalted and dwells in Zion on High. They will bring in great devastation but the Lord will arise to destroy them. From v13-24 he describes The LORD the KING in his beauty. Who can stand before him? but he that walks righteously (according to law) and speaks the truth. He despises the gain of oppressions. He refuses bribes. That refuses to avenge blood and shuts his eyes at evil. He will dwell on the high mountain of the LORD. He will see the King in his beauty. Matt 5v8. Where will the enemy be? He will be far gone. The city of Jerusalem will not be destroyed - one bit. The LORD will be the judge and lawgiver. The LORD will be King and he will save them. There will be no more sickness. The people will be forgiven of their iniquity. This is when Christ himself the LORD comes to rule.