October 9th
Isaiah, 34
1:
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth
hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come
forth of it. 2:
For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury
upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath
delivered them to the slaughter. 3:
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out
of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their
blood. 4:
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall
be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down,
as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the
fig tree. 5:
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down
upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6:
The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with
fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the
kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great
slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7:
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the
bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made
fat with fatness. 8:
For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of
recompences for the controversy of Zion. 9:
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust
thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning
pitch. 10:
It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up
for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none
shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11:
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and
the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the
line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. 12:
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be
there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 13:
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the
fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a
court for owls. 14:
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of
the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl
also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. 15:
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and
gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered,
every one with her mate. 16:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall
fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and
his spirit it hath gathered them. 17:
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto
them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to
generation shall they dwell therein.
Isaiah, 35
1:
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the
desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2:
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing:
the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel
and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency
of our God. 3:
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4:
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold,
your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he
will come and save you. 5:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped. 6:
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb
sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in
the desert. 7:
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land
springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall
be grass with reeds and rushes. 8:
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The
way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be
for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9:
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon,
it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10:
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and
gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Today
we are reading Isaiah chapters 34 & 35. In chapter 34 Isaiah
records the message of God to the Gentile nations. He begins in v1-8
talking about the nations and their armies. The Lord says come near
because my wrath is against you. The Lord invites them to come near
for destruction. The Lord it appears will go to war with the nations
based on the city of Bozrah. This is the day of the LORD’s
vengeance and the year of recompenses because of their opposition to
Zion. Then he speaks of the judgment of the Lord on the land, v9-10.
The streams will be turned into bitumen and the dust to volcanic ash.
The land will burn day and night forever. No-one will ever live there
forever. There will only be birds of prey there v11. Then he speaks
of the princes and nobles v12 They will be brought to nothing. The
land will be left desolate. No-one will live there and weeds will
come up in the palaces. Nettles and brambles in the fortresses. Only
wild beasts, birds and creatures will live there. Demons will inhabit
the land. In chapter 35 Isaiah speaks of the glory of Jehovah the
king. This is a much quoted passage and misunderstood. The Lord says
that the wilderness and barren place will rejoice in Israel. And they
will blossom like a rose. (This passage is cited today to describe
the revival of Israel in our day however this is referring to the Day
of the LORD, not the Day of Grace.) What he prophesies is outstanding
and far exceeds anything known today. The land of Israel will be
abundant blossoming. Still the land is dry and burnt up by the sun
today. The first point is that they will see the glory of the LORD in
the land and the excellency of our God. the Lord will give strength
to the weak and stability to the feeble knees. There will not be any
fear again because the Lord will come bringing vengeance on their
enemies. The Lord will save them – from their enemies. The Lord
will open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. The lame
will jump like a young deer and the dumb will sing. In the wilderness
waters will break out of the ground and parched areas will become
pools. The land will become filled with springs and there will be
grass with reeds and rushes a sure sign of excessive water. (A
saturated water table) the highway will be established – ‘the way
of holiness’. This is the route that men will take when they come
up to worship before the LORD. No unclean man will walk that road.
But the ordinary men though unlearned will not miss the path. There
will be no danger from wild beasts on the road. Only the redeemed of
the LORD will walk this road. Those that walk this road on their
homeward journey will come with songs and will everlasting joy. They
will obtain joy and happiness from the lord and all sorrow and
sighing will flee away. Needless to say this is not fulfilled today.
No comments:
Post a Comment