Bible Reading Challenge Blog

This longer chapter begins by speaking out against the Ephraim.  They are portrayed as a drunken nation.  I find it curious that it is not just the random people who are described as drunkards but rather their priests and prophets stagger under strong drink.  As a result of this drunkenness the question arises: “Who will teach knowledge.”  Who will pass on the most important lessons from one generation to the next.  

The people have made a covenant with death and made an agreement with hell, or the devil as we would like to say.  As a result of this covenant that the people have made with death, God is laying down a cornerstone.  This cornerstone is justice and the people will try to figure things out on their own but they will meet their demise.  As a result of this calamity then people will turn away from their covenant with death, which they will see produces nothing but, well, death.  

People will turn back to the Lord as a result of the experiences that they have had in their life where they have made unwise alliances.  I sometimes wonder how long it will take us to see that as we try to make deals with those who are not looking out for our good, that only bad things are produced.  When we turn our lives over to the Lord then we know that we have the assurance and the promise that all things work for good for those who trust in the Lord.  In Isaiah’s time, they were still learning this lesson as we are today.

 I got a recommendation to include this in this post from someone today.

We hear mention now in Isaiah of this creature Leviathan which is mentioned in the Psalms as well (Look at Psalm 74:13-14).  Leviathan was a creature that represented the sea and everything bad about the sea.  Remember, the Israelites were not big fans of the sea, even though they lived right on it.  They were not considered a sea-faring civilization.  So it makes sense that on judgment day the Leviathan, or the dragon which we read about in Revelation, is defeated by God.  Those things that scare us we want to have conquered when we face eternal life where everything is perfect.  The defeat of a sea monster would count as a big step toward perfection.

Here is a depiction of it by the mid 19th century artist Gustave Dore.

But we quickly transition from the Leviathan which is mentioned in two verses to Jacob and Israel taking root again, because remember they had been plucked up in a dry and arid land.  We find the promise that life will come back.  Look at vs.13 and take heart that there will be a day when God will call His people to Him and they will actually respond and come back and worship him on the holy mountain.  It speaks specifically of those who were carted off into exile, into slavery really, and will be brought back.

We continue our transition from the deserted and desolate land which was struck by the hand of God, to we now find that a song is being sung in Judah where the people say: “we have a strong city.”  What a huge swing in favor and attitude to not only the Lord, but also to life in general.  The author is also able to say with incredible certainty: “Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.”  A certain trust in the Lord isn’t just temporary, but can be, read should be, forever.  What a huge transition from the fickleness of life to the certainty of the presence of the Lord.  It must have been a good day.

His approach to those who are wicked is curious.   Even if they are exposed to righteousness, even if they are taught the right thing, vs. 10 tells us that they are unable to learn it.  They will still deal perversely with people.  He then uses the example of a woman who is in labor to describe himself and the people of Israel.  But the difference is that the labor just had the pain, there was no product of life which developed after the labor, just wind, as the author states.  It is very much in line with Ecclesiastes.

This is a great Scripture to take and cross reference with Revelation 7:1 and 21:4.  We read in all of these Scriptures that the day will come when death is swallowed up in victory.  While you are looking at Revelation, you need to look at I Corinthians 15:54 where Paul tells us about the victory that we have in Jesus which is a conquering over death.  But he gets his words from Isaiah in this chapter and verse 8.  

We do read about the God wiping away the tears from our eyes.  I love the imagine of the hand of God reaching out and wiping our tears from our eyes, similar to Michelangelo’s creation picture which you can find below.  

I can never get enough of the moon of God seen in the bottom of the picture alongside the creation of the sun.  Michelangelo had a sense of humor.

The depiction of a devastated land is one that is used often to describe what will happen to a place that is not faithful to the Lord.  It is the Lord who assures fertility both in people and in the land according to the Old Testament readings, especially in Deuteronomy.  When we looked at those books of the Bible we saw how closely our actions dictated how God was going to treat us.  When we disappointed God, then God withdrew His hand.

We also spoke about how we receive such a different message from that of unconditional love which we find in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Even while we were yet sinners…, that is the message that we receive.  This message is not to be interpreted as a green light for more sin, but rather as an opportunity to be dug out of the hole in which we sometimes find ourselves when we think that we are not worthy, nor will we ever be worthy enough so what is the point?  The point is that we will never be worthy enough, and only God makes us worthy through God’s actions, not our own.  We can climb out of the hole only by the grace of God, not by our strength, our skill in climbing, or our persuasiveness in asking someone to help us get out.  God gets us out of the hole, period.

Chapter 24 takes us through the typical Old Testament cycle of devastation to rejoicing, disobedience to obedience.  Notice that these two are absolutely linked according to the prophet Isaiah.  I find it especially interesting in vs.21 that the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven and on earth the kings of the earth.  Talk about a well rounded punishment, no one is spared, not even the hosts in heaven.  

Once again a historical event takes place in the oracle concerning Tyre.  Keep in mind that Tyre is a seaside town which used to have quite a powerful navy as the dominant Phoenician town.  Tarshish should sound familiar as it is the same place that Jonah fled to in order to get as far away as possible from the presence of the Lord.   Historically Tyre was allied with Hezekiah as they went up against Assyria, but once Tyre began to fall to Sennacherib then it allied with the enemy leaving Hezekiah all by himself to defend Israel.  

Tyre is said to be prostituting herself as she sells her goods to enemy nations.  But in the end, the oracle states, she will give completely of herself to the Lord.  It will be such a transition that all who love the Lord will be clothed in the garments that came from her store and the food that people eat who are in relationship with the Lord will also come from her.  

It is a great picture of things turning upside down in order for the Lord to take dominion over His people.  It takes time, but we must trust that it will happen.

Even though this says that this is an oracle to the valley of vision, we can tell from the content that it is an oracle against Jerusalem.  It is probably a pun on the name that the valley between the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem has which is Kidron valley.  Kidron means literally darkness or gloom.  So if you call  it the valley of vision you are probably saying that tongue in cheek.  

This is probably a recounting of the withdrawal of Sennacherib’s troops in 701 from Jerusalem after the surrender of Hezekiah.  Now when you read these verses you read that the Lord defeated the army of Sennacherib, which we know historically never took place.  Hezekiah surrendered.  But I guess revisionist history is not unique to our day and age, it was happening some time ago as well.  

One of the neatest places to go in Jerusalem is Hezekiah’s tunnel.  This tunnel which really saved the city of Jerusalem because it provided water into the city is amazing.  It is a narrow, confining passageway, but it is amazing to be able to walk through it to the other side, even while you are wading through water which you know was life giving.  

Interestingly enough this steward who is called Shebna in vs.15ff and is absolutely lambasted is a historical figure.  Isaiah calls him out because he has cut out a tomb for himself when he is going to be losing his position in the kingdom.  This person’s tomb was actually found in the Kidron valley, east of Jerusalem.  I always take great pleasure in being able to read these prophecies of Isaiah and know that they are not just random words which generate discussion, but that they are rooted in historical fact.  This is crucial to understand where Isaiah was going in his prophecies.  

I encourage you to follow the map that I attached when we started to look at Isaiah 13.  Follow along in the reading of chapter 21 and you will see all of the places mentioned in the map.  I wish I could say that there was a neat and orderly system that Isaiah follows which takes us from north to south or east to west, but no, I can’t say that.

It is interesting that the first oracle is concerning the wilderness of the sea.  Keep in mind that the Israelites were terrified of the sea and considered all bad things as having their source in the sea.  You can find in the Psalms many examples of the Leviathan that lives in the sea, and other creatures which describe the sea as a place that is not friendly.  In this oracle we find the demise of Babylon.

These oracles really do give us an insight into Isaiah’s prophecies against the historical sworn enemies of the Israelites and how God would vanquish them and give the Israelites victory…one day.

Merry Christmas!!  I could have probably chosen a better chapter to reflect the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, but time marches on and we use the verses that are before us.  Here we find Isaiah the prophet who goes around naked, completely naked, for three years to prove a point.  The point that he is proving is that Egypt and Ethiopia will be overcome and their people will be driven out naked and barefoot from their countries for three years.  It is quite an extreme example, and it is one that prophets often showed the messages of the Lord in extreme actions.  

I’m grateful that the Lord has not asked me to do something so extreme in order to prove a point about His actions.  

Think about the history that Egypt has had with the people of the Lord, at least in Scripture.  Keep in mind how we read that Abraham in Genesis goes to Egypt and lies about Sarah because he is afraid that the ruler of Egypt will take her as his wife and in the process kill him.  Then we can move on to Moses and how he grows up as the ruler of Egypt, even as a Hebrew, but then is forced to flee.  He comes back and leads the people out of Egypt to the destruction of so many Egyptians.  

Think about the role that Egypt plays in Jesus’ life.  We read an oracle that is against Egypt from vs.1-15 where we see that Egypt is not considered an ally, but rather a foe.  But that changes then in vs. 16.   Your read in vs. 21 that “the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians.”  I interpret that in two different ways.  One is found in Matthew 2:14-15 where we read that Joseph took his family into Egypt and by doing so brings the Savior into Egypt.  As a Moses type Jesus comes out of Egypt bringing all that is needed to save the people of Israel.

But there is another passage that I absolutely love in Acts which strikes me as the Gospel being proclaimed in Egypt as well.  If you look at  Acts 8 you see the Ethiopian eunuch who is reading the prophet Isaiah and asks Philip to interpret it for him.  Why would he not have been reading either this chapter or the previous chapter where Ethiopia is discussed?  It is thought that this eunuch once he is baptized is the one who then proclaims the Gospel from Egypt all the way down in Eastern Africa to a people who are receptive to Jesus as Savior.