Dei Time

As for Israel’s Enemies

Dei Break

Isaiah 13:1 – 14:32

Beginning in Chapter 13 we read Isaiah's pronouncement against Assyria. Babylon is cited because it was the major city of the Assyrian empire. The Babylonian nation had been under the hand of Assyria for some years. She was one of the allies to revolt and contribute to Assyria's destruction. Though the Babylonian rebels and their allies were God's enemies, He would use them as His tools. NASB version uses "consecrated" instead of "holy" in describing the conquerors in verse 3.

Referring to vs.16, as horrible as it was, infants and children were commonly killed by conquering armies so that the conquered nation could not soon rebuild. Assyria was the cruelest of the power-nations, torturing conquered peoples only to terrify others in their path.

When Assyria began to weaken about a hundred years after destroying Israel, Jerusalem enjoyed renewed prosperity under King Josiah. (King when the book of the law was rediscovered by priests cleaning the temple.) Josiah recovered the northern territory that had been Israel, extended his religious reforms into that area, reestablished the temple as the center of worship, and virtually erased paganism from his kingdom. Surely this would be the beginning of a new commitment on the part of the people toward God, but though Josiah was a righteous ruler, Jerusalem's destruction was only postponed. Her people still did not change their rebellious nature and did not understand its consequence.

In chapter 14 God details the fate of the kind of leaders who ruled lands like Assyria; lands that totally rejected God and His dominion. Verses 4 through 12 detail the joy that even the trees will feel when such evil fails. Even after death the tyrant (in this case Sennacherib of Assyria) will be taunted by those he has conquered. His most evil sin—vs.13-14.

Nor do the Philistines escape God's proclamation of destruction in Chapter 14. She should not feel safe because her enemy is "broken" for her enemy will sweep down on her in only a few years—one last strike by a new monster—Sargon II, of a temporarily renewed Assyria.

Next time: More Evil to Be Struck Down

(NOTE: While many of these nations and names may seem unfamiliar, some of you may want to "google" a few of them. Their stories will fascinate those of you who take the time to check out the internet. Saddam Hussein's palace, for instance, sat directly in front of the ruins of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates, and today's nation on the grounds of Babylon is Iraq.)

Grace Will Come

Dei Break

Isaiah 12:1-6

Chapter 12 could be prefaced with "Though you are now about to be destroyed because of your sin…" Isaiah's listeners were not living in the time when they could speak the prayer in chapter 12, but that time would come. Through Isaiah, God offered His people the glorious hope of His forgiveness and His mercy.

Because they were His beloved people, chosen not because of their righteousness but because of His grace, God would not allow the Jews to be totally destroyed. Their punishment was not for destruction but a tool to bring them to their senses, turn them away from their rebellion and back to their Lord.

At first we may rebel at the language of chapter 12. It seems that these people would be forced to return to God and that they then would be thankful for the grace that would follow the pain. As a very independent society, we bristle at the thought. However, put the scene into your own childhood. There was undoubtedly a time when your parents or guardian punished you for doing something really dangerous, immoral, or possibly even something that could have landed you in court or jail. At first you were angry—maybe even shouted hatred at the one who was trying to save you from your own actions. How dare they assume that they knew what was best for your life. However, after the punishment was in the past and you had had time to realize that their true motive was love for you, your attitude changed. You actually came to be thankful that their actions, even punishment, had saved you from far worse.

Actors Martin and Charlie Sheen have shared a similar story with their fans. When Charlie was trapped in drug abuse, and all else had failed, Martin turned his son over to the police. Charlie hated him for it, but came to the point later of thanking his father for his tough love.

That is how God felt about His people—he would punish them rather than let Satan steal their eternity.

Next time: As for Israel's Enemies…

Your Conquering Enemies Will Fall

Dei Break

Isaiah 10:1-11:16

Chapter 10:1-4 pronounces woe on the unjust who have gained their wealth by ignoring the needs of others, and cheating the poor out of what little they have. Who will these arrogant ones turn to in time of disaster if they have been only evil in their actions toward others?

In verse 4 Isaiah paints the fateful picture of these forced to hunch down among the other captives of Israel's enemies while guards watch over them.

The rest of the chapter tells us that though Assyria may be used as a tool of punishment by God, the nation is not God's ally. Assyria was the cruelest of the ancient nations, bringing unspeakable torture and domination to its victims. Verses 8-11 are the thoughts of the king of Assyria who assumes that his great success in overcoming various cities is due to the weakness of Israel's God. He assumes that he will crush Jerusalem as well. In verses 13-19 God says that this will not happen because He is not yet ready to allow the total destruction of His holy city. Assyria may move on Jerusalem but the Assyrian king is vastly overestimating his own power in the face of the Almighty. In verse 17 we see that God Himself will rise up and destroy His enemy, Assyria.

In verse 20 God reminds His people that though they are often tempted to depend on local alliances for protection, or to grovel before nations such as Assyria who appear indestructible, this is an empty attempt at peace and protection. It is only in God that they can find an eternal friend.

God has promised that He will spare Judah from the hand of Assyria. How will his people react to His mercy and compassion?

Chapter 11 begins with the promise of the One who will be Messiah. Verses 1-5 foresee the Messiah who will come after the restoration of the nation. The rest of chapter 11 foresees a time that has not yet appeared. It is understood differently by different denominations and scholars, but we will truly know exactly what God means in these sections when it actually happens.

Next time: Grace Will Come

The Coming Restoration

Dei Break

Isaiah 9:1 - 21

While chapter 8 carried little good news for the people of God, chapter 9 brings the greatest hope, a clear prophecy of the Messiah to be born over 700 years later.

Naphtali and Zebulon will be the first lands in the north to fall to Assyria, but when the area will alter be "Galilee of the Gentiles" (vs.1) and Jesus will grow up in its city of Nazareth.

As for the immediate future, Assyria herself will fall (9:4) but a much greater gift will come much later, the scope of which Isaiah's listeners could not fully understand.

The NIV has a great translation of this section. Here Isaiah writes in both past and present tenses. "The people have seen…", "You have shattered…", "a child is born". This writing tool was used by God through the prophets to assure the people that what God promises is already a "done deal" as we would say today. Though Assyria was at the height of its power, she was already gone in the eyes of God. Though the birth of the Savior was over 700 years away, in the eyes of God He had already arrived.

The rest of chapter 9 is about the arrogant rebellion of the northern tribes (Israel) and their total defeat. God's anger was not sudden or unjust against a people who had defied Him for over 200 years; years in which He had time and again pleaded with them to return.

However, it is the earlier part of the chapter that will close our posting today because it is perfect for Christmas week. Dei Break will be on vacation the rest of this week, so it is such a great "coincidence" that we find ourselves in this particular chapter of Isaiah. We close with these words from Isaiah, chapter 9:

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them….For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

Merry Christmas from Dei Break—see you next week.

When God Allows Destruction

Dei Break

Isaiah 8:1-22

Isaiah' new son by his wife, "the prophetess" in chapter 8 will be named "quick pickings, easy prey", the fate of the enemies of the north and Judah in the future.

Again Isaiah names Assyria as the enemy that will not only wipe Syria and Israel out of existence, but will also sweep through Judah itself. But Judah would not be destroyed by this enemy.

Verses 9 and 10 refer to the nations threatening Judah at the time. God still allowed Judah to survive; to witness His power to protect them. Surely they would respond and choose to return to the Lord. Sadly, we know from reading Kings and Chronicles that they will not. Would we?

The people are not to fear what might come to them from the north, whether Syria and Israel, or Assyria. They must turn their eyes to God, who has more power than any enemy that they face. If not, then the enemies will overtake and destroy them. For those that turn to God, He will be their protector. (vs.13-15)

Isaiah then confirmed that he and his family would continue to trust only in God, while others depended on the forbidden spiritists and mediums.

Isaiah lived in constant danger and with a people that seemed to make only bad choices. In this chapter the encouragement is not a promise of renewal for the people, but a message to the prophet and his strangely named children not to be discouraged in the face of seeming hopelessness.

Next time: The Coming Restoration

Politics of the Time

Dei Break

Isaiah 7:1 - 25

In chapter 7 Isaiah describes the alliance between Syria and Israel to the north of Judah. Ahaz, not one of Judah's better kings, feared that the two nations would attack. Steadily weakening and under threat from Assyria, Syria and Israel planned to force Judah into an alliance against Assyria, which would be suicidal. Ahaz' first reaction was panic. Which political alliance might save his skin?

God sends Isaiah to tell Ahaz that his only chance is to trust in God for deliverance. The prophet says that the two nations threatening from the north are mere "smoldering stubs" (vs.4). His words were literally true—Syria (Aram) would be crushed by Assyria within a couple of years and Israel would fall in another decade (65 years in the future another sweep by Assyria would finish the obliteration of Israel as a nation). Verse 8 is a prophetic statement about the complete obliteration of the northern state through the death and deportation of its inhabitants coupled with the repopulation of the area by colonists from Assyria and its provinces.

Ahaz, defying God, refused to ask a sign (vs.11-12). Isaiah announces that a sign will be sent anyway. The sign, the virgin's son, seems to have two references. The first was probably the son of a virgin who would soon marry. Before her child was old enough to know right from wrong, both of the nations threatening Judah would be gone. His name, Immanuel (God with us), indicating that this sign was from God. The second was that Messiah would come, born of a virgin. Many prophecies, especially in Isaiah, were of this dual nature. (Though Isaiah would not have clearly understood that duality, God made the messianic prophecies clear in Jesus' time and religious leaders who rejected Him had no excuse for doing so.)

The rest of chapter 7 foretells the coming disaster. God will remove His protection from Israel and her enemies will thrive in the land. The herder will be delighted to have only one or two head of stock left from which to gather food (vs.21-22). Israel (and almost Judah) will be a desolate place as Assyria sweeps across the region.

Next time: When God Allows Destruction

Isaiah Meets God

Dei Break

Isaiah 6:1-13

The mention of King Uzziah's death puts this vision at around 739 B.C. But that is not nearly as interesting as the vision itself. The first five chapters have set the theme for Isaiah's ministry. Now he tells his story of God's call. Perhaps it is a mark of the importance of Isaiah's message that he waits until now to do so.

Isaiah begins by saying that he found himself in God's presence. Visions were highly symbolic and Isaiah's experience is probably not the literal view of God that we shall see in heaven. St. John records that Jesus said that God is not flesh and blood but spirit (John 4:24). What Isaiah sees is a picture God's power and glory—high and exalted; completely holy (the reason the number 3 is used). At a time when the length of the train of the king's robe indicated his power, God's royal cloak fills the temple. The seraphim have to cover their faces from the shining of His glory. That is not to say that a vision was a mere dream—Isaiah's encounter was a very real God-given experience.

In the presence of God, Isaiah is overcome by his sinful condition and that of his nation. He can only feel shame and fear.

As with us, only God can turn Isaiah's focus from his own sin to the coming call. Symbolically, He orders a fiery coal laid on Isaiah's lips for cleansing, and suddenly the prophet-to-be is freed from his sin and becomes a new man.

When God calls for a messenger, the newly freed Isaiah yells out, "Here am I, send me!" What a great picture of salvation. Tied to sin we can only fear God, but He saves us from our sin. He sets us free, not to continue as we were, but as new people ready to serve Him.

Isaiah's task would be filled with heartbreaking rejection. Sadly, the same attitude would later confront Jesus.

Instructing Isaiah, God details His people's rebellion twice, affirming that they will continue their obstinacy even in the face of the prophet's truth. They will not turn back to God without feeling His crushing punishment. Yet, God also directs Isaiah to teach hope for the future.

Next time: Politics of the Time

The Vineyard

Dei Break

Isaiah 5:1 – 30

The vineyard, planted by God, has produced nothing profitable or usable. He has done all that He could do—created it, protected it, loved it. In the New Testament Jesus also used the image of a vineyard to chide God's people. In Matthew, Jesus foretells His own rejection via a vineyard story. (Matthew 21:33-45) In Isaiah's poem of the vineyard, God expected His nation to yield the fruit of faithfulness, but found only defiance and sin.

Isaiah probably delivered this parable to a group of people, possibly leaders of the nation. Like any good story, it captures the interest in the very beginning, but suddenly the story turns into a courtroom scene. The listeners are presented with a rhetorical question forcing them to agree that God could have done nothing else for His people. The prophet then plainly tells them what will become of the vineyard that has rejected its Creator and Protector.

In verse 8, Isaiah's "woes" begin, condemning those who gather wealth and property to satisfy their own greed; those who pursue drunkenness and the "party life" to the exclusion of better and wiser goals.

It isn't surprising that the nation had these problems. During the reign of King Uzziah in Judah, both the northern and southern kingdoms of God's people enjoyed their greatest prosperity.

Archaeologists have unearthed objects in Samaria with costly inlaid ivory designs; cities of the time were numerous, and sheltered more people than ever before. It was the peak of civilization for God's people. Both kingdoms sat on the major trade route between Egypt and the nations to the north, bringing even more wealth into Jerusalem and Samaria. It was a situation in which greed and comfort naturally prospered.

In 5:19 Isaiah writes that the people even taunted the prophet, and God, daring Him to do as Isaiah foretells. Isaiah then pronounces woe on those who call evil good and good evil.

All in all, much of Isaiah's "woe" pronouncements in this chapter seem eerily familiar in our own time.

The last of the chapter promises that God will call His own enemies forth to vanquish His people.

Next time: Isaiah Meets God

What Will Come

Dei Break

Isaiah 3:1 - 4:6

God says that the leaders in whom the people have put their faith will fall. Not only should these leaders have not replaced God in the people's hearts, they have led their charges into rebellion against God. The people will then turn to whoever might be left to lead them, still refusing to return to their God.

Though the nation still appears to be in pretty good shape, God often speaks as though their downfall has already occurred. It is a method of writing and speaking for the prophet that confirmed that what he said in God's behalf was unavoidable; it is as sure as though it had already happened. You can imagine how Isaiah and other prophets were treated by most of the nation. Their message just seemed impossible.

Those who should have cared for the poor and downtrodden have instead taken advantage of their plight (vs.14-15). The unjust treatment of the poor by the rich shattered the covenant laws given by God.

Enemies would confiscate the women's finery as plunder and the women would be hauled off to Babylon bound waist to waist with ropes (vs.24). So many men would fall in battle that seven women would beg one man to be their husband (4:1). This was a terrible pronouncement on women in a culture where being husbandless was a curse.

The second verse of chapter 4, however, changes dramatically. Now we see the promise of God to restore the faithful remnant; to bring His people back into His arms after their punishment is ended. His love will not let them go. "Branch" in vs.2 may refer to Messiah or it may refer to God's nation. Does God mean the restoration coming after captivity in Babylon, or is He referring to the reign of Christ? Either seems appropriate, depending on when the restoration takes place. Do verses 5 and 6 refer to a symbolic time of forgiveness or do they picture a glorious time yet to come?

Next time: The Vineyard

Hope

Dei Break

Isaiah 2:1 - 22

In chapter one God called out His indictment against His people to the heavens and earth (vs.2). In other words, if God were to bring His people to court, they would lose big time. As chapter one ended, God switched to the future of His nation. After their fall, He would lift them up into an even greater position than they believe that they now hold. The repentant will be "redeemed", even as the unrepentant sinner is "crushed" (vs.27 and 28).

Chapter two begins with a description of the glorious future of God's people. Like many passages in the prophets, verses 2 through 4 can be seen as partially fulfilled in the later years of the Old Testament, while some of the promises obviously have not yet been fulfilled, especially verse 4. Prophets proclaimed a dual message in many cases—one to be fulfilled in the life of the nation, and one still to be fulfilled at the end of time.

As chapter two progresses the prophet makes it clear that the people's sin and rebellion will no longer be overlooked, as though they ever were. We have seen God's patience throughout Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges, etc. The prophets will reveal the details behind the destruction of Israel (722 B.C.) and Judah (585 B.C.). God's compassion remains; it is the nation's sin that brings her downfall.

As Isaiah begins preaching, the people see no need for God. Prosperity reigns! So what if a few beggars and widows go without? If a woman uses her finery and wealth to exalt her ego and flirt a little, who cares? Who needs God? But what if God removes the prosperity?

What happens when people who have no trust in God suddenly lose their sense of wellbeing, their money, their jobs? What happens when enemies are suddenly at the gate? What is the power of distress? As chapter 2 ends, God, through Isaiah, says to his people, "Stop regarding man…for why should he be esteemed?"

Next time: What Will Come