Isaiah, Week 6, Days 1 & 2: Isaiah 28 -29

Day One: Read Isaiah 28 

 1. What is the condition of Ephraim (vv 1-13) and Judah (vv 14-15)?  They are full of drunkards, prideful, and condescending of the prophets and God's plan.

 2. What descriptions are given of the stone laid in Zion (v 16)?  A firm and tested stone.

The force of the figure in this verse is much enhanced by the statements of modern travellers in relation to the immense stones still remaining at the foundation of ancient walls. -J. A. Alexander.

 3. Who is this cornerstone? Christ. The BKC suggests that it's not entirely clear that Isaiah is suggesting its a direct reference to the Messiah.  Zech 10:4 is.

************************

Isa 28:17  And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

From the Grace Church Memphis Bible Study Guide notes:

"On this sure foundation, God will set a measuring line. (v 17) It will measure horizontally (justice)
and vertically (righteousness). Moyter says these describe "the quality of life the Lord desires in His believing people and to which he will apply his measuring line and plumb line (the tests of horizontal and vertical exactitude)"  (p. 234).

 Day Two: Read Isaiah 29 

 1. What is God's complaint against Jerusalem in vv 13-16?  They honor Him with their lips but their hearts are far from him.  Their worship of Him is just man-made rules, rote.

Passages from the NT that confirm this perspective that God detests ceremony apart from heart change:

Matthew 7:22-20  Mat 7:21  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 15:1-9  The Pharisees and scribes ask why he breaks the tradition of the elders by not having his disciples wash their hands before they eat.  Jesus turns that conversation around to ask why they break God's commandments for the sake of their tradition--ex. honoring parents.   Jesus directly cites this chapter and passage of Isaiah (Isaiah 29:13).

Christ says that to some he will say he never knew them.  Then he tells the story of the man who built his house on the rock vs. sand.  The man who "hears his words AND does them," is the rock foundation.  The man who builds on sand hears him but does not do them and "great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:27)

"...having the appearance of godliness but denying its power" 2 Timothy 3:5

The Grace Church Memphis notes conclude that God took their ability to discern (see, understand) from these prideful people to humble them, citing Isaiah 29:9-12:

Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”  Though he will ultimately balance this with His grace as well because it pleases Him. -Isaiah 29:9-12

Although it ultimately pleases God to show grace, He will render us teachable too:

 Isa 30:21  And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

 2. Do you worship God or your worship of Him? I think worship is a complex activity--much more than music, service, acts, but also spirit, truth.  I try as best I can, but I am sure that at times I am more connected to my emotional response and my needs in relationship to Him.

 3. In what passages do you find:

 a. Judgment?
Isaiah 29:2-3
"I will make you suffer....surround you and prepare to attack from all sides."

b. Hope?  Isaiah 29:17-24  Some of the hopeful images are:
"all who are cruel and arrogant will be gone forever."
the deaf will hear, the blind see, the poor have provision

Isaiah, Week 5, Day 6: Isaiah 27

 2. How is the vineyard of verses 2-6 different from the one in 5:1-6? 

In Isaiah 27:2-6, The vineyard is pictured as one that the Lord waters continually, "every moment I water it" (v. 3).   He watches over it night and day.  He has no wrath and urges them to make peace with him (v 4-5).   Jacob will take root and Israel will blossom.

Isaiah 5:1-6 emphasizes all that the Lord did to create this vineyard (dug it, cleared rocks, planted it with choice vines) but that it bore wild grapes.  He challenges Israel to think "what more could I have done for it?"  In v.5-6 the Lord says he will remove his hedge and it will be devoured, trampled down.

The similarity in the passages is that the Lord cares for it in each case.  The difference is that in Isaiah 5, the task is a thankless one that produces poor grapes.  In the second one, the fruit will take root and bloom.  There is peace between the vineyard and its keeper.

3.  He punished Israel by exiling her, to "call her to account." (v 8, NLT)  He did this to "purge her wickedness, to take away her sin" (v.9)  I think the implication is that He will judge them until idols are destroyed. Judah will be desolate for a time, but ultimately, his people will be regathered. In verse 13, a trumpet sounds calling exiles back from Assyria but also ultimately, Israel back into the Church.

Isaiah, Week 5, Day 6: Isaiah 27 Leviathan

1.  What does verse 1 tell us?

It tells us that the Lord will cut up Leviathan with a sword.

This verse, referring to the culmination of God’s judgment on the world, ties in with the judgment mentioned in Isa_26:21. With a sword the Lord will cut up a great serpent called Leviathan. This gliding… coiling serpent is the many-headed sea dragon mentioned in Psa_74:13-14. In Ugaritic literature (of Ugarit, a city-state in North Syria) reference is made to a similar seven-headed creature. Isaiah, though not believing this ancient Semitic myth, simply referred to Leviathan to convey his point (cf. Job_3:8). Leviathan, the twisting monster of the sea, was viewed in Ugaritic literature as an enemy of order in Creation. But the Lord can stop this chaotic state and establish order on the earth and in people’s hearts. When God’s judgment comes in that day, when He slays the wicked at the end of the Tribulation, it will be like His slaying the chaotic dragon Leviathan. -BKC

Job 3:8  Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.

Job’s words, May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan, refers to a custom of enchanters who claimed to make a day unfortunate (to curse it) by raising Leviathan (cf. Job_41:1; Psa_74:14; Psa_104:26; Isa_27:1), a seven-headed sea monster of ancient Near Eastern mythology. When aroused, the dragon would cause an eclipse by swallowing the sun or moon. So if the daytime or nighttime luminary were gone, Job’s birthday would, in a sense, be missing. 

The Destruction of Leviathan, Gustave Dore, 1865

Job 41:1-34  This entire chapter is about the Leviathan.  The BKC commentary here suggests it could be any number of creatures but probably a crocodile.  This is confusing because in the last analysis they asserted it was mythological (?).  They also point out that the leviathan and behemoth should not be categorized as dinosaurs as it would incorrectly date Job's lifetime/generation.

The Pulpit commentary points out that the word means "twisting" more than being a proper name; thus it could be describing several types of creatures.  General scholarly consensus is that it's a crocodile.

Symbolically, Job uses the Leviathan as a climax of God's control over "chaotic evil."

Psalm 74:13--mentions the Lord crushing the Leviathan's head and it becomes food for creatures.  BKC says that Leviathan was a 7-headed mythological creature here, symbolic of Egypt's power.

Psalm 104:26  Psalm 104 is a psalm praising all God has made, the Leviathan here is in company with many of his other creatures and creation, probably a whale swimming in the sea.  The idea that "Leviathan" is more of a description of twisting rather than a name helps, though I don't see how a whale twists.

Isaiah 51:9  The reference here is to "Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?"  The interpretation is that Rahab is "pride" or Egypt and the psalmist is recalling God's delivery of Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea.  It becomes a type of catch all term for God's enemies.

From Wikipedia:

Sea serpents feature prominently in the mythology of the Ancient Near East.[7] They are attested by the 3rd millennium bce in Sumerian iconography depicting the god Ninurta overcoming a seven-headed serpent. It was common for Near Eastern religions to include a Chaoskampf: a cosmic battle between a sea monster representing the forces of chaos and a creator god or culture hero who imposes order by force.[8] The Babylonian creation myth describes Marduk's defeat of the serpent goddess Tiamat, whose body was used to create the heavens and the earth.[9]

Isaiah, Week 5, Days 4 & 5: Isaiah 25-26

Day 4   Read Isaiah 25

"Every believing man who is in Christ is as a man sitting down at a perpetual feast. Everyday is, in this sense, a feast day to him. Every day is a day upon which he is to be feeding upon Christ, and to be nourishing his soul with the rich and costly blessings of salvation. Better to have the feeblest faith than to be an unbeliever." -Andrew MacLaren

 1. For what does Isaiah praise God? For doing "wonderful things"(v1), thy counsels of old are "faithful and true" (v1).

 2. What will the Lord do for "all peoples" and where?  Remove the veil.

There will be

None of the other panaceas for the world’s evils even attempt to deal with that “shadow feared of man” that sits at the end of all our paths. Jesus Christ has dealt with it. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

 Needy man and his moral provision

I. HUMANITY IS MORALLY FAMISHING—CHRISTIANITY HAS PROVISIONS. “A feast of fat things,” etc. The feverish restlessness and the earnest racing after something not yet attained, show the hungry and thirsty state of the soul. Christianity has the provisions, which are—

1. Adequate: “for all people.”
2. Varied: “wines and fat things full of marrow.”
3. Pleasant: “wines on the lees well refined.”

 II. WHERE DOES THE UNVEILING THAT GIVES LIGHT TO THE WORLD COME FROM? My text emphatically repeats, “in this mountain.” The pathetic picture that is implied here, of a dark pall that lies over the whole world, suggests the idea of mourning, but still more emphatically that of obscuration and gloom. The veil prevents vision and shuts out light, and that is the picture of humanity as it presents itself before this prophet—a world of men entangled in the folds of a dark pall that lay over their heads, and swathed them round about, and prevented them from seeing; shut them up in darkness and entangled their feet, so that they stumbled in the gloom. It is a pathetic picture, but it does not go beyond the realities of the case. There is a universal fact of human experience which answers to the figure, and that is sin. That is the black thing whose ebon folds hamper us, and darken us, and shut out the visions of God and blessedness, and all the glorious blue above us. The weak point of all these schemes and methods to which I have referred for helping humanity out of the slough, and making men happier, is that they underestimate the fact of sin. There is only one thing that deals radically with the fact of human transgression; and that is the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, and its result, the inspiration of the Spirit of life that was in Jesus Christ, breathed into us from the throne itself. -A. Maclaren

That the grace of the gospel should be a royal feast for all people; not like that of Ahasuerus, which was intended only to show the grandeur of the master of the feast (Est_1:4); for this is intended to gratify the guests, and therefore, whereas all there was for show, all here is for substance. -M Henry

VII. Because there can be no feast where the greatest enemy is in force, HE SWALLOWS UP DEATH IN VICTORY. (R. Sibbes, D. D.)

 3. What is the destiny of "the proud?"  They will be trodden down (v.10) and their walls laid low (v12).

 Day Five: Read Isaiah 26

 1. How does Isaiah describe the city and its people in verses 1-4?  Those who trust the Lord are at peace.  They are the righteous who walk through the open gates.

Andrew MacLaren woos us to be a part of this future city even today:

It is possible even here and now to have our citizenship in the heavens, and to feel that we belong to a great community beyond the sea of time, though our feet have never trodden its golden pavements, nor our eyes seen its happy glories.

In one aspect, it is ideal, but in truth it is more real than the intrusive and false things of this fleeting present, which call themselves realities. ‘The things which are’ are the things above. The things here are but shows and shadows.

I like this charge to the Church to pursue both individual and collective work:

How can we open or help to open these gates of national strength and saving health? For individual action the answer would be such as this: First, by loving truth and keeping righteousness ourselves; next, by doing all we can to help others to a life of godliness and righteousness; further, by earnest and frequent prayer to Him who gave of old the promise, “I will open to you the two-leaved gates”; and lastly, by the faithful exercise of the privileges of citizens, seeing to it that in the forming of our opinions, in the giving of our votes, in the use of all our influence, not selfish interest, or class interest, or even party interest, but the interests of righteousness and truth be the determining factor. But individual action is not enough. We must combine; we must bring our united force to bear. And here the main reliance must be on the Church of Christ, on which is laid the responsibility of carrying on His great work of salvation. (J. M.Gibson, D. D.)

 2. Contrast that city with the one described in 24:5-6
This city is brought low.  The foot shall tread it down.

3. From verses 7-11, compare the condition of the righteous with that of the wicked.
With regard to the righteous, they wait for the Lord's judgement (v 8), and the Lord weights their path (v 7). Their souls desire God and remember Him (v. 8). The righteous desire and seek Him in the night and early in the day (v.9).  In contrast, even though the wicked has been shown favor (v. 10) he will not deal justly.  The fire of their enemies will devour them (v. 11).

Isa 26:8  ESV In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

Isaiah 26:12  LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

R. Watson points out that there are different types of peace:

A third reason for gratitude with reference to the peace is, that it has been produced by the signal triumph of a righteous cause. Peace is not always a blessing. In some cases it is only a term for the stillness, the quiet of desolation and death. Peace is often the result of the superiority acquired by the aggressor. The cause of right does not always at once prevail.

We rejoice in peace as the completion of a course of providential dispensations highly conducive to the instruction of the world.  -BI

 4. What promise is found in verses 19-21?  "Thy dead men shall live (v19).  The Lord will punish the the inhabitants of the earth (v 21) and the earth shall disclose their blood (v21).

Regarding the promise and timing of the resurrection of the dead:

I. AGAINST DEPORTATION. Other dangers threaten the bodies of the dead. Being on the surface of the earth and mingled with its particles, they must necessarily be moved about. The winds may waft them to other regions; birds or animals or men may carry them abroad; the rivers may float them in their rapid currents; the ocean may heave them on its mighty billows. How then shall they be preserved? God has purposely made many of the seeds so that they are wafted on the winds, not that they may be destroyed, but may be brought into better positions for their preservation and subsequent prosperity. And shall we disbelieve the fact that the great God who performs these wonders in the ordinary operations of nature, is able and willing so to control winds, and birds, and beasts, and living men, and flowing rivers, and heaving oceans, as to preserve and carry to safer or better places the germs of those bodies which He has taught us shall rise at the resurrection of the last day?

III. AGAINST INTERMINGLING OR LOSS OF IDENTITY. Take the many hundreds of plants that exist about us—there are computed to be more than 80,000 kinds on the globe—with their millions of seeds. The God of nature never mixes them up. Whatever may be true about the amalgamation of growing plants, when their seeds or germs are perfected it is impossible so to mix them as to confound them. And think you that the God who works such wonders of infallible certainty in the identification of the untold millions of these varieties of plant seeds, every year and through so many centuries, however they may be mixed up, cannot or will not, even when He has promised it, preserve the identity of each different human body, so that it shall be enstamped with all the characteristics of its own individuality, though it be mingled with so many other human bodies through so many centuries? 

“There is a law of germination and growth belonging to those acorns; and whenever you bring them into the position where that law is met, they will grow.” We are ignorant equally of the facts in what the identity or germ of a human dead body consists, and what conditions are necessary to bring it into active resurrection life; these are the affairs of the Author of existence. But we do know, that whatever it is that constitutes the identity of the dead body’s existence, cannot and will not develop itself in a resurrection life power, until the great Keeper of man brings it into a position and condition where the laws of its development are fulfilled. (N. D. Williamson.)

Isaiah, Week 5, Days 1-3: Isaiah 24:1-23

Day One

There is a shift in this section nicely summarized by BKC:

"God’s judgment on the nations through the Assyrian invasions (chaps. 13-23) forms a backdrop for the Lord’s eventual judgment on the whole world (Isa_24:1, Isa_24:4). Known as “Isaiah’s apocalypse,” chapters 24-27 describe the earth’s devastation and people’s intense suffering during the coming Tribulation and the blessings to follow in the millennial kingdom."

1. The coming judgement will affect

what and whom--the earth and all its inhabitants
why--judgement for sin
how-profoundly, all will be devastated and stripped

Isa 24:1  Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

It speaks of  a curse which "devours the earth" and its inhabitants, regardless of wealth or rank.The earth will wither (dry up) and become desolate.  Few men will remain.

"The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants."  v5
What defiles the earth?  The people.  How?  They "transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broke the everlasting covenant." v5

2. Who are not guilty? I would say none.  "Its inhabitants suffer for their guilt" v6

Psalm 14:1-3--There is none who does good, not even one.
Isaiah 53:6--All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way.
Romans 1:18-20  "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."  So we are without excuse.

3a.  Is anyone left?  Few men  v 6
b. and c. Isaiah 24:13 in the NLT speaks of a "remnant" left, like gleanings after a grape harvest or after the olive trees have been shaken.

Day Two

1.  The remnant that remains will shout and sing--lifting their voices to praise the Lord.

2.  The voices come from all directions and ends of the earth.  

• Acts 10:34-35: "God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right"
• Romans 1:16  "Saving everyone who believes, the Jew first but also the Gentile."
• Revelation 5:9  "Your blood has ransomed people from every tribe, tongue, and nation."

3. It exhorts me to concern myself with loving and caring for all people throughout the earth, not just people who live near me or who are like me.  God is a God who delights in diversity.

Mark Lawrence, "You Shall Reign Glorious"  Isaiah 24:23

Day Three

1. Those who try to escape will be caught:

Isa 24:18  He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 

2. It specifically mentions "the host of the high ones" and "kings" who will be punished.  MSG: "Carpet rebel powers in the skies"  NLT "gods of the heavens."

3. The moon and the sun will be dimmed/wane/ashamed.

• Joel 2:31  "The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood." 
• Revelation 22:5 "And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

The light will come from God instead.

4. The Lord will reign (v 24) on Mount Zion.

Isaiah, Week 4, Days 4 -6: Isaiah 19-23

Day Four: Read Isaiah 19:1-20:6 

 1. From Isaiah 19:1-17, what is the Lord going to do to Egypt? Why? (Give the verse)

He will cause civil war (v 2). They will lose heart, and He will confuse their plans (v 3). He will hand them over to a cruel master (v. 4). He will dry up their river and cause a famine. He will make them "as weak as women." v He will strike Egypt but also heal Egypt 19:22.   Egypt will turn to the Lord.

Why? Because they are a land of idols and spiritualists.

 2. "In that day" what does God call

Egypt---my people (v 25)
Assyria---the land I have made, the work of my hands (v25)
Israel--my special possession, my inheritance (v25)

The three shall be united with a highway between Assyria and Egypt.

3. How does Isaiah 19:16-23 affect your attitude toward current events? I wonder how such a contentious area will be unified.  Egypt's role and conversion to worshiping Jehovah is interesting.

 4. Who did the "coastland" depend upon to protect them from Assyria?
Egypt.  Their alliance.

 5. Upon what or whom are you placing your hope? God.

Day Five: Read Isaiah 21-23 

1. Summarize the condition of each of these cultures:

Babylon--v 9 the watchman cries out that Babylon has fallen; their idols lay crushed on the ground
Edom--v 12 morning is coming, but night will return soon
Arabia--v 16 within a year, the glory of Kedar will come to an end
Jerusalem Isaiah 22: 2-3, bodies are dead from famine, leaders have fled, people captured and led away, walls and defenses are down  v 8,  v 15 Shebna (the palace administrator) will be hurled away, Elikim will replace him (v 20) He will give him the key to the house of David (v22).  What he opens will be open, what he shuts will be shut. (although eventually Judah would fall v25)
Tyre--laid waste (23:1), their trade would be destroyed, urged trading ships of Tyre to mourn. Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years (v 15) after 70 years she will return to her wages and prostitute herself through trade, but somehow the profits would benefit the Lord's purposes (v 17)

from www.bibletrack.com

Day 6--Skim Isaiah 13-23 and note overall themes

The themes of forgetting God, attributing success to your own efforts, and then experiencing God's judgement.

Isaiah, Week 4, Days 2 and 3: Isaiah 14:24-18:7

Day 2

Read Isaiah 14:24-16:14

 1. In the oracle about Assyria what do you learn in:

14:24  That what the Lord has planned regarding Assyria will unfold. Period.
14:25  That He will break the Assyrians on Israel's land, will trample them on His mountain, and His people will no longer be slaves.
14:26 The Lord has a plan for all the earth and all nations.
14:27 Once He has spoken, it will be--who can change it?

2. What will happen to Philistia? A snake (future threat) will emerge from the rod that has been broken. They will be wiped out with famine (v30)  A powerful army will come from the north (v31)

 3. Whom did Isaiah tell Moab to look to for salvation and how will they respond? (See also Jeremiah 48)

Moab should look to the Lord:

Isa 16:5  then God will establish one of David's descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is just and be eager to do what is right.

Jeremiah mentions in 48:47 that Moab's fortunes will be restored.

Day 3

Read Isaiah 17:1-18:7

Moab--mountainous part of Jordan (eastern shore of Dead Sea).

1. The Damascus/Israel alliance will be destroyed because Damascus will be destroyed and Israel's fortified cities too (v 3).

Moab must be know for its vineyards.  The confidence of man's plans here is stacked against God's ability to cut them short: 

Isa 17:10  Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. So you may plant the finest grapevines and import the most expensive seedlings. 

Isa 17:11  They may sprout on the day you set them out; yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain.

‘In the day.’ It is hard for men to labour towards far-off unseen good. We like to have what will grow up in a night, like Jonah’s gourd. So these present satisfactions in a worldly life appeal to worldly, sensuous natures. And it is hard to set over against these a plant which grows slowly, and only bears fruit in the next world. -Andrew MacLaren

2. Who in Israel will survive? Only a few (v 6)

 3. From 17:12-14, "the raging sea" and "great water" refer to the Assyrian army's invasion of Judah. What will happen to the Assyrian army? (See also Isaiah 37:36-37; 2 Kings 19:35)

• In 17:13 "Though they thunder like breakers on a beach, God will silence them."
• In 18:6 He says their mighty army will be left dead in the field for vultures.
• Isaiah 37:36-37, 2 Kings 19:35--At night an angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrians. King Sennacherib was killed by his sons while worshiping at the temple of Nishrock.

"About twenty years elapsed between Sennacherib’s retreat and his assassination. During all that time he ‘dwelt at Nineveh,’ so far as Judah was concerned. He had had enough of attacking it and its God. But the notice of his death is introduced here, not only to complete the narrative, but to point a lesson, which is suggested by the fact that he was murdered ‘as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god.’ Hezekiah had gone into the house of his God with Sennacherib’s letter, and the dead corpses of an army showed what Jehovah could do for His servant; Sennacherib was praying in the temple of his god, and his corpse lay stretched before his idol, an object lesson of the impotence of Nisroch and all his like to hear or help their worshippers." -Andrew MacLaren

"But how could this sequence of events, which required time for its unfolding, be ‘a sign’? We must somewhat modify our notions of a sign to understand the prophet. The Scripture usage does not only designate by that name a present event or thing which guarantees the truth of a prophecy, but it sometimes means an event, or sequence of events, in the future, which, when they have come to pass in accordance with the divine prediction of them, will shed back light on other divine words or acts, and demonstrate that they were of God. Thus Moses was given as a sign of his mission the worshipping in Mount Sinai, which was to take place only after the Exodus. So with Isaiah’s sign here. When the harvest of the third year was gathered in, then Israel would know that the prophet had spoken from God when he had sung Sennacherib’s defeat. For the present, Hezekiah and Judah had to live by faith; but when the deliverance was complete, and they were enjoying the fruits of their labours and of God’s salvation, then they could look back on the weary years, and recognise more clearly than while these were slowly passing how God had been in all the trouble, and had been carrying on His purposes of mercy through it all. And there will be a ‘sign’ for us in like manner when we look back from eternity on the transitory conflicts of earthly life, and are satisfied with the harvest which He has caused to spring from our poor sowings to the Spirit."  -Andrew MacLaren

Isaiah, Week 4, Day 1: Isaiah 13:1-14:23

Wikipedia, Map of the Neo Assyrian Empire and its expansions

A note on the shift between Chapter 12 and 13 from BKC:

A major break occurs between Isa_12:1-6 and Isa_13:1-22, but not as major as some interpreters have suggested. Even in chapters 13-23 Isaiah reiterated some of the same themes he voiced earlier: God uses various means to punish sin, and will judge those nations who are arrogant against His covenant people. These messages against nine sinful Gentile nations or cities around Judah were probably not written for them to read. The messages were probably to be read by God’s covenant people to show that God actually will judge Israel’s enemies. This would reassure Judah that God will establish His kingdom.  -Bible Knowledge Commentary

1. Who will be the Lord's "consecrated ones," and His "instruments of indignation"(13:5) against Babylon? Give the verse.

God's army (v 3)  This has an immediate and future fulfillment.  Armies were drawn from various places near and far.  This will happen again immediately before the Millennial Kingdom.

 "They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens" Isaiah 13:5

BB says immediate fulfillment was Babylon conquered by Medes & Persians in 539 BC.  The gates they enter are Babylon's.

The Medes (v 17)

 2. What does "consecrated" mean?
According to Strong's it means "appointed, dedicated, clean (ceremonially or morally)

 3. What do these have in common: Isaiah 14:12-14 and Isaiah 10:13-14? Isaiah 14:12-14, Isaiah 10:13-14 and Genesis 3:1-5?

• Isaiah 14:12-14  "How you have fallen from Heaven, bright morning star"
• Isaiah 10: 13-14  The King of Assyria attributes victory to his greatness.
• Genesis 3:1-5  The boast of the serpent is that Adam and Eve will be made "like God" if they eat the fruit.

The three verses all share a perspective that asserts the pride of man, that man can be made like God or be God.


 4. Is it wrong to want to be "like God?" (See also Galatians 5:1, 22-23; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 John 3:2-3)

• Galatians 5:1 Christ has set us free, so do not return to a yoke of slavery.  
• Galatians 5:22-23  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness---against such things there is no law.
• Philippians 2:5-11, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (v 5-8)
• 1 John 3:2-3  We are God's children and "we know that when He appears we shall be like him."

I think the point here is that we should emulate Christ, who although God himself, did not strive to be heavy-handed with his authority and power.  As we have His Spirit, we have a piece of Him, but that Spirit is one of good, gentle fruit, not arrogance.  The promise is that when He returns, we shall be like him, perhaps free even of this desire to assert our power/dominance.

I think it is right to want to be like Christ, like God, but not to strive to take on authority that is His alone.  Also, our own ideas of God and how He works are perverted, and our attempts are often crude and inaccurate.

Isaiah, Week 3, Day 6: Isaiah 11:1-12:6

Read Isaiah 11:1-12:6

 1. Has the prophecy of 11:1-5 been fulfilled? What is the evidence? (See also 1 Samuel 17:12; Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:16; John 1:32; John 7:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30)

Yes, through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

• 1 Samuel 17:12  David was the son of Jesse, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1)
• Isaiah 42:1"I have put my spirit on him.  He will bring forth justice."
• Matthew 3:16  When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God descended upon him and rested upon him.
• John 1:32  John bore witness to the Spirit descending and resting upon him.
• John 7:24  "Judge with right judgement."
• 1 Corinthians 30: "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 

 2. Has the prophecy of 11:6-16 been fulfilled? What is the evidence? (See also Matthew 24:31; Romans 8:18-22)

No, I don't believe it has been ultimately fulfilled until Christ's Second Coming.

• Matthew 24:31  With a loud trumpet call, He will send forth his angels to gather the elect from the four winds.
• Romans 8:18-22 Paul talks about our present sufferings as paling in comparison to the glory that will be revealed, speaks of the earth's birth pains, that the earth will be set free from "the bondage of corruption," and that we also groan with first fruits.

 3. Isaiah's Song of Praise (12:1-6) was written in anticipation of "that day." Does it describe what you would sing today? How?

For me, this song is hard to relate to because it is abstract and seemingly inaccessible.  It's like picturing Heaven.  I did benefit from multiple commentaries here:

Biblical Illustrator:

We should connect the opening of the eleventh chapter with the close of the tenth in order to feel the full force of the contrast. There we read: “And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty One.” Then comes the prophecy that “there shall come forth a rod,” etc. The cedar of Lebanon was the symbol of Assyrian power. It was a poor symbol. Looked at botanically, it very vividly represented the passing pomp of a pagan empire. It is of the pine genus, and sends out no suckers, and when it is cut down it is gone. The oak is the symbol of Israel’s power, and though it be cut down it grows again—“there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots”—out of the very lowest stump that is left in the ground. (J. Parker, D. D.)

Isaiah 11: 1-16
Three prospects are unfolded in it.

I. A PROSPECT OF MIND (verses 2-5). The geography of a royal mind in its stretches of character, knowledge, and achievement.

"The Spirit of the Lord rests upon Him."  The Spirit of:  wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.

Peaceable Kingdom, Edward Hicks, 1834

II. A PROSPECT OF NATURE (verses 6-9). A vision of the restitution of nature—Paradise regained.

The strife of the natural world will be suspended:

Wolf w/lamb, leopard w/goat, calf w/lion, cow w/bear, lion will eat straw, child play over cobra hole,

"They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain."

III. A PROSPECT OF HISTORY (verses 9-16). The geography of Israel’s redemption. To this third prospect chapter 12. forms a fitting conclusion, a hymn of praise in the mouth of returning exiles. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)

There will be a physical return of Israel across dried up or shallow rivers (like the Exodus).

The word “salvation” is too narrowly defined in many instances. People suppose that it means a kind of spiritual selfishness which, being expressed in more words, would run in some such fashion as this: Thank God I am safe, whatever may become of anybody else! Any man who can say that, or mean that, or be in any way under such a delusion, simply knows nothing whatever about the spirit of the Gospel. “Salvation” is one of the largest terms in human speech. Emancipation does not mean—you are now no longer under obligation to serve your old tyrant or your old master. That is but a negative aspect of emancipation. The true meaning is—you are invested with all the responsibilities of organised liberty; you have conferred upon you an opportunity of developing your whole manhood; you may now show the very best aspect of your character, and unless you do it, then slavery were for you better than freedom. It is so with the fullest meaning of this word salvation. Saved people are generous people, beneficent, charitable, anxious about others; nay, the only explanation of their anxiety about others is that they themselves are conscious of having been saved—not saved from fear only, but saved into life, liberty, and conscious possibility of doing great and small things. (J. Parker, D. D.)

Isaiah, Week 3, Day 5: Isaiah 10:5--34

Read Isaiah 10:5-34

 1. a. What was the Lord's intent in sending Assyria against Israel?  Assyria is "the rod of my anger," (v 5) "to take spoil, seize, and plunder," (v 6), "shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I have done to Samaria and her images?" (v 11)

"God often uses unlikely instruments to accomplish His purposes in the world." -BKC

 b. What was Assyria's intent?

They were nationalistic---looking to expand their territory and wealth.

 2. Count the first-person pronouns in verses 13-14. What does this tell you about the king of Assyria?

He's arrogant and believes that he is the source of their success.

"By the strength of my hand I have done it" (13).

 3. What will happen to Assyria because of its arrogance?

v 16 God will send "wasting sickness" against their warriors.  The light of Israel will become a fire that devours (v 17).

4. a. Who in Israel will survive the destruction? Give verses.

"A remnant will return" (v 21).

 b. What will characterize those who survive? (Give verses)

They will "lean on the Lord" instead of "on him who struck him" (v 20).

Isaiah, Week 3, Days 3 & 4: Isaiah 9:1-7-10:4

Day Three

Read Isaiah 9:1-7 (with John 1:4, 8:12; Ephesians 5:8; Matthew 4:12-23; Isaiah 42:6-7)

John 1: 4---In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
John 8:12--"I am the light of  the world.  He that follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life."
Ephesians 5:8--For you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so walk as children of the light."
Matthew 4:12-23 For those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light sprang up (v 16)
Isaiah 42:6-7 "to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from the prison."

 1. What three descriptive nouns in Isaiah 8:22 are repeated in Isaiah 9:1-2?
darkness, dimness, anguish/vexation (tightness, distress)

 2. According to Isaiah 9:2-3, what will God's people enjoy?  They will enjoy light (v.2-3) and joy (v.3).

BKC:“Joy” is another emphasis of Isaiah’s, mentioned more than two dozen times in the book.

 3. According to verses 4-7, how can this hope be explained?   The hope comes out of the "fire" of this darkness, that a child will be born.

 4. Give the different attributes of the "child" of verse 6.
The gov't will be on his shoulder
Wonderful
Counselor
The Mighty God
The Everlasting Father
The Prince of Peace

BKC: "Everlasting Father — or better, the Father (or "Source") of eternity. Eternal Himself, He confers eternal life on those who believe in Him. Vine comments: "There is a twofold revelation in this: (1) He inhabits and possesses eternity (Isa_57:15); (2) He is loving, tender, compassionate, an all wise Instructor, Trainer, and Provider.""

BKC: "The Messiah is also called the Prince of Peace, the One who will bring in and maintain the time of millennial peace when the nation will be properly related to the Lord. Together, these four titles give a beautiful picture of the coming Messiah’s character (Isa_9:6 includes the first of Isaiah’s 25 references to peace.)"


 5. Who will accomplish all this? Give the verse.  "The zeal of the Lord will perform this." (v.7).

Isaiah, Week 3, Days 1 & 2: Isaiah 7:1-8:22

Day 1

Chapters 7-12 of Isaiah have been called "The Book of Immanuel" because of the strong prophecy of Christ's coming.-BB

Backdrop:
734 BC
When Ahaz was King of Judah:
King Rezin of Syria/Aram--was last king
King Pekah of Israel--was 2nd to last king-Israel became weaker after King Jeroboam II died.
Aram/Israel alliance against Judah
They planned to replace Ahaz with a puppet king--"son of Tabeel" (v 6).
Ahaz was terrified

*they reference "Ephraim" as the nation of Israel as representative of the entire nation. Ephraim was the largest tribe.

God tells him (v3) to send his son to meet King Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct. Tell him to stop worrying and fearing those nations.  The Lord says the invasion will never take place (v 7) because Syria is no stronger than its capital of Damascus and Israel will fall within 65 years.  But your faith must be firm. (v 8)

His son's name was Shear-jashub which means "a remnant will return" -BKC

1. The threat against Judah is the Syrian/Israeli alliance from the north.

2. The attack will fail (v 7)

3. Ephraim (Israel) will be destroyed within 65 years.
2 Kings 17:23---Yes, Israel was exiled into Syria.  There were multiple layers of disintegration over a period of time.

It seems contingent that Ahaz must believe that this will happen for it to happen even though he would not see it in his lifetime.

Day 2

 Isaiah 7:10-8:22

1.  Ahaz would be given the sign of a virgin bearing a son in a time of national upheaval.  His name would be Immanuel, "God with us."

Virgin is an unmarried woman of marriageable age.
Comment on upheaval:

The abundance of… milk was a distressful factor, not a good one. With many animals dying, a farmer’s young cow and two goats would have no young to nurse, and so the milk (and curds from it) would be plentiful for the people. Honey would also be abundant because wild flowers would grow in the desolate fields and bee swarms would be more plentiful. All this would fulfill the sign given Ahaz by Isaiah (Isa_7:15): he will eat curds and honey. -BKC

2. Immanuel means "God with us."  "The Almighty beside us."

3. The instrument of judgement will be Assyria  (Isaiah 7:17)  Also, the army of Southern Egypt (Isaiah 7:18).

4.  Isaiah 8:14, "He will keep you safe."  I don't understand the connection between the other references and safety.   Of course, Christ assures our safety, but I don't see that direct application in Luke 2:34 or Hebrews 2:11-13

The Messiah---a list from BKC & Isaiah

1. He will be called before His birth to be God’s servant (Isa_49:1).
2. He will be born of a virgin (Isa_7:14).
3. He will be a Descendant of Jesse and thus in the Davidic line (Isa_11:1, Isa_11:10).
4. He will be empowered by the Holy Spirit (Isa_11:2; Isa_42:1).
5. He will be gentle toward the weak (Isa_42:3).
6. He will be obedient to the Lord in His mission (Isa_50:4-9).
7. He will voluntarily submit to suffering (Isa_50:6; Isa_53:7-8).
8. He will be rejected by Israel (Isa_49:7; Isa_53:1, Isa_53:3).
9. He will take on Himself the sins of the world (Isa_53:4-6, Isa_53:10-12).
10. He will triumph over death (Isa_53:10).
11. He will be exalted (Isa_52:13; Isa_53:12).
12. He will come to comfort Israel and to bring vengeance on the wicked (Isa_61:1-3).
13. He will manifest God’s glory (Isa_49:3).
14. He will restore Israel spiritually to God (Isa_49:5) and physically to the land (Isa_49:8).
15. He will reign on David’s throne (Isa_9:7).
16. He will bring joy to Israel (Isa_9:2).
17. He will make a New Covenant with Israel (Isa_42:6; Isa_49:8-9).
18. He will be a light to the Gentiles (Isa_42:6; Isa_49:6).
19. He will restore the nations (Isa_11:10).
20. He will be worshiped by Gentiles (Isa_49:7; Isa_52:15).
21. He will govern the world (Isa_9:6).
22. He will judge in righteousness, justice and faithfulness (Isa_11:3-5; Isa_42:1, Isa_42:4).

Isaiah Week 2, Day 6: Isaiah 6:8-13

1a. After he cleaned Isaiah's lips, what commission did the Lord give Isaiah?  Bizarrely, the Lord tells him to go to the people and tell them to listen, even though they will not hear, "make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy" (v10)  This way they will not repent and be healed.

"Significantly, he was not called to service until he was cleansed." BKC

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."
-Isaiah 6:8-10

"Isaiah responds by eagerly offering to be God's messenger.  But God forewarns him. His is a gloomy assignment from the start. The people will not respond positively.  Isaiah asks how long the situation will last. God says that Judah will be deaf to God's message until their land is desolate and empty.  The sobering message of Isaiah 6:9-10 is repeated [six] times in the New Testament:" -Memphis Church, Isaiah Study

Matthew 13:14-15, Mark 4:10-12, Luke 8:8-10  Immediately after he tells the Parable of the Sower, the disciples ask Jesus why he preaches in parables. He replies that he is making known to them the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, "but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Isaiah 13:11-12)  Jesus goes on to say that the Jew's response is a fulfillment of Isaiah 6:9-10, citing the passage in full.   In contrast to those dull of hearing, Christ says, "But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." (v. 16-17).

BKC Commentary:
"Significantly Jesus did not speak of any “mysteries” concerning the kingdom of heaven until the nation had made its decision concerning Him. That decision was made by the leaders when they attributed His divine power to Satan (Mat_9:34; Mat_12:22-37)."

There is a sense that the mysterious nature of God's work is being revealed to a handful of people in that generation and that the revelation is a great privilege.   There is also a sense that it is being kept from others.  The Bible Knowledge commentary points out that this was only after the leaders rejected him.  It's puzzling to me, but then, I suppose that's part of why it's a mystery.


John 12:38-42--The context of this passage is Jesus addressing the crowd after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Jon Courson notes that He came on the 10th day of Nisan. A group of Greeks attended the festival as wisdom seekers (in the tradition of the Magi). They were symbolic of the Gentiles coming to Christ.  Phillip inquired about them to Jesus (John 12:21-22), and Christ saw this as a fulfillment of the timing--it was time for "the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (v. 23)   The crowd did not understand his words about "light"---

"So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him"  John 12:35-37

"Self-righteousness and self-sufficiency are evidences of positive darkness dwelling within." -The Evangelist

"Christ does not explain the difficulty by logical disquisition, but by exhorting them to practice holiness (verse 35). It is the pure heart, not the logical understanding, that solves the problems of Christianity."BI

"Since they didn't want to believe, they weren't able to believe because God hardened their hearts. Why? To ratify their choice. You see, had not God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Jesus' teachings would have been so powerful, so persuasive, and so overwhelming that they would have believed against their will. The same is true today. To those who don't want to believe, to those who continually stand in the posture of unbelief, there will come a time when they cannot believe (Mat_12:31)." -Jon Courson

Christ does not explain the difficulty by logical disquisition, but by exhorting them to practice holiness (verse 35). It is the pure heart, not the logical understanding, that solves the problems of Christianity. Christ

Acts 28:24-28--Paul before the local Jewish leaders in Rome, explains his cause and then when they disagree amongst themselves, his parting words to them come from this passage in Isaiah.

Romans 11:7-8--Paul is talking about grace vs. works and cites Israel's rejection and hardening:
"What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened."

"Isaiah had pronounced woes (threats of judgment) on the nation (Isa_5:8-23), but now by saying Woe to me! (cf. Isa_24:16) he realized he was subject to judgment. This was because he was unclean. When seen next to the purity of God’s holiness, the impurity of human sin is all the more evident." BKC

1b. For how long?   "Until the cities be wasted, without inhabitants," in other words, until Judah has been taken into captivity" (v 11).  "Until the men be moved far away and there has been a great forsaking." (v 12)  He says that even if a piece survived (a tenth) the devastation would start again (v 13).

1c.  Why?  There is a holy seed in the stump (13).

2. This type of commission would be difficult and humbling.  Who would welcome it?  To be a part of God's hand, His instrument, would be a great honor, and I hope that I would do what was requested and be as eager as Isaiah to be sent.   I suspect I might be more like Moses, reluctant.

3.  It's important that He save a remnant because Christ comes through the remnant and thus all salvation.

Esther 3:12-4:14--Modecai exhorted Esther---that she might be a crucial part of the plan for the remnant being spared.  King Ahasuerus via Haman.

Isaiah Week 2, Day 5: Isaiah 6:2-7

Question 1 Continued:

1. What was the location of the scene described by Isaiah and who did he see? 

Other references:

Exodus 33:20--people cannot see His face and live

John 1:18, John 6:46--no one has ever seen God except his Son.

John 12: 37-41  "He who sees me sees the One who sent me." v 45.

Colossians 1:15  "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

1 Timothy 6:15-16  "who dwells in unapproachable light, who no man has seen or can see."

I like this interpretation of Isaiah seeing God which takes it out of the OT and prophets and places it into a conversion experience--any man's discovery and encounter with God.

"It is really just the transition from the religion of tradition to the religion of experience. Religion comes to us all first as a tradition. It is the tradition of our home, the tradition of our Church, the tradition of our country, and so on; but as long as it is merely that, it is vague, unreal, and remote. But some day this God of whom we have heard is realised by us to be here; and this Christ, of whom we have heard that He has saved others, comes seeking for entrance into our own soul; and if we let Him in, our religion passes into an entirely new stage." -BI, James Stalker

Marc Chagall's "Prophet Isaiah," 1968

2a.  The three-fold adjective "holy, holy, holy."

2b. Holy means "sacred, ceremonially or morally."

"“One cried unto another.” Each was intensely alive to his own responsibility and duty." -BI

3. Isaiah's reaction was to confess his sin, "Woe is me, I am undone!  For I am a man of unclean lips"(v.5).

4a.  Then a seraphim flew to him and touched his lips with a burning coal from the altar of the temple (v. 6-7).

4b. The word then is significant because he confessed he was a man of sin who saw God (or at least his glory) and thought he would thus be destroyed.  The angel's response is a reaction to Isaiah's confession and concern.

5. What is the symbolism of the burning coal?
The symbolism is the cleansing of sin. Isaiah was purified from his sin after confession, just as the nation of Judah should be repenting of their sin but were not.

Leviticus 6:1-13
These passages describe the purpose of the burnt offering.  If a man had committed sin against his neighbor or lied, he was to make an offering of a ram.  He should go to the priests to make atonement to him through the offering.  The burnt offering was to be on the altar fire all night until the morning (Lev 6:9).  Then the priest was to take the remnants ashes of this offering and put them beside the altar (v. 10).  Then the priest takes off his priestly garments and takes the ashes outside the camp.  The fire should never go out and continually burn.

Apse of Santa Maria d'Aneau, Master Pedret, End of 11th Century, Catalonia

Leviticus 16:12-13

Lev 16:11  “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.
Lev 16:12  And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
Lev 16:13  and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

The priestly atonement requires a bull and a censer full of coals and incense.  The incense on the fire  will cover the mercy seat so that the priest may not die.

Commentary from BKC:

"The prophet’s unclean lips probably symbolized his attitudes and actions as well as his words, for a person’s words reflect his thinking and relate to his actions. Interestingly Isaiah identified with his people who also were sinful (a people of unclean lips)."

Isaiah Week 2, Day 5: Isaiah 6:1

"The Vision of Isaiah" by Luke Allsbrook, oil on canvas, 2006

1.  Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne and his train filled the temple.

The idea of the Lord's train intrigues me. I don't think of Israeli kings as having crowns or trains---certainly not in the European sense, so I've been trying to come to the bottom of the etymology. There's not much to go on, but I found this commentary helpful:

His train filled the temple.—The word for “temple” is that which expresses its character as the palace of the great King. (Comp. Psalm 11:4; Psalm 29:9; Habakkuk 2:20.) The “train” answers to the skirts of the glory of the Lord, who clothes Himself with light as with a garment (Exodus 33:22-23). It is noticeable (1) that the versions (LXX., Targum, Vulg.) suppress the train, apparently as being too anthropomorphic, and (2) that to the mind of St. John this was a vision of the glory of the Christ (John 12:41). -Ellicot's Commentary for English Readers

**********************************************************************

This commentary from a personal blog seems a solid starting point for a discussion of ancient robes and trains though I can't verify the accuracy of the historical details. In fact, searching further, multiple blogs echo her thoughts about the length of the train but with no citation:

"Kings of old wore elaborate robes to signify their majesty and authority. The longer the train (the back hem of the robe), the more powerful the king. After a king defeated an army in battle, he would cut off a portion of the defeated king's robe and have it sewn onto the train of his robe. Hence, the longer a King's robe, the more victories he had won! And the more authority he possessed!

All through the Bible, robes bear a special meaning.

• In Exodus you can read God's directions on how to make the priestly robes the Levites would wear as they served in the temple. Every little portion of the robe had deep meaning.
• In 1 Samuel, when Jonathan made a covenant with David, he took off his robe and gave it to him
• Also in 1 Samuel David heartily repented for cutting a slice off of King Saul's robe and thus insulting his authority
• In Esther when she fearfully approached the king to beg for her people's lives, she put on her royal robes
• In Job when he found out all his children had been killed, he tore apart his robe indicating his grief and laying down his authority
• In Ezekiel, the stripping off of robes and laying them aside is a symbol of humbling and submission
• In Matthew, the Roman guards placed a scarlet robe on Jesus to mock him for his claim to be a king
• In Luke when the prodigal son returned, his father put the best robe in the house on him to honor him
• In Revelation, we the saints will be robed in pure white to signify our righteousness before God."

-Mary Lu Tyndall's blog, "The Cross and the Cutlass

************************************************************************

The End of the Reign of King Uzziah

Rembrandt's "The King Uzziah stricken with leprosy, 1635

Andrew MacLaren's comments of Uzziah's death:

"Uzziah had reigned for fifty-two years, during the greater part of which he and his people had been brilliantly prosperous. Victorious in war, he was also successful in the arts of peaceful industry. The later years of his life were clouded, but on the whole the reign had been a time of great well-being. His son and successor was a young man of five-and-twenty; and when he came to the throne ominous war-clouds were gathering in the North, and threatening to drift to Judah. No wonder that the prophet, like other thoughtful patriots, was asking himself what was to come in these anxious days, when the helm was in new hands, which, perhaps, were not strong enough to hold it. Like a wise man, he took his thoughts into the sanctuary; and there he understood. As he brooded, this great vision was disclosed to his inward eye. ‘In the year that King Uzziah died’ is a great deal more than a date for chronological purposes. It tells us not only the when, but the why, of the vision. The earthly king was laid in the grave; but the prophet saw that the true King of Israel was neither the dead Uzziah nor the young Jotham, but the Lord of hosts. And, seeing that, fears and forebodings and anxieties and the sense of loss, all vanished; and new strength came to Isaiah. He went into the temple laden with anxious thoughts; he came out of it with a springy step and a lightened heart, and the resolve ‘Here am I; send me.’ There are some lessons that seem to me of great importance for the conduct of our daily life which may be gathered from this remarkable vision, with the remarkable note of time that is appended to it."

David Guzik's comments on Uzziah's death:

v. So, to say in the year King Uzziah died is to say a lot. It is to say, "In the year a great and wise king died." But it is also to say, "In the year a great and wise king who had a tragic end died." Isaiah had great reason to be discouraged and disillusioned at the death of King Uzziah, because a great king had passed away, and because his life ended tragically. Where was the LORD in all this? -David Guzik

Uzziah became king of Judah at 16, but co-reigned with his father Amaziah for the first 24 years.  He reigned for 52 years altogether.  The dating of his reign is all over the place, but around the middle of the 8th century BC.  He "did what was right" in the Lord during the first half of his reign, was influenced by the prophet Zechariah, and described as capable and vigorous.  Unfortunately, the end of his life was marked by poor judgement and his subsequent fall. Uzziah offered incense in the temple, was strucken by leprosy and died unexpectedly. (based on Wikipedia)

With the passing of Uzziah, Judah went from a reign of great prosperity and security into a tenuous season under the reign of his 25-year old son. 


*********************************************************************************

"It was when ‘King Uzziah died’ that the prophet ‘saw the Lord sitting upon the throne.’ If the Throne of Israel had not been empty, he would not have seen the throned God in the heavens. And so it is with all our losses, with all our sorrows, with all our disappointments, with all our pains; they have a mission to reveal to us the throned God. The possession of the things that are taken away from us, the joys which our sorrows smite into dust, have the same mission, and the highest purpose of every good, of every blessing, of every possession, of every gladness, of all love-the highest mission is to lead us to Him. But, just as men will frost a window, so that the light may come in but the sight cannot go out, so by our own fault and misuse of the good things which are meant to lead us up to, and to show us, God, we frost and darken the window so that we cannot see what it is meant to show us. And then a mighty and merciful hand shivers the painted glass into fragments, because it has been dimming ‘the white radiance of Eternity.’ And though the casement may look gaunt, and the edges of the broken glass may cut and wound, yet the view is unimpeded. When the gifts that we have misused are withdrawn, we can see the heaven that they too often hide from us. When the leaves drop there is a wider prospect. When the great tree is fallen there is opened a view of the blue above. When the night falls the stars sparkle. When other props are struck away we can lean our whole weight upon God. When Uzziah dies the King becomes visible....Let us take care that we do not waste our griefs and sorrows. They absorb us sometimes with vain regrets. They jaundice and embitter us sometimes with rebellious thoughts. They often break the springs of activity and of interest in others, and of sympathy with others. But their true intention is to draw back the thin curtain, and to show us ‘the things that are,’ the realities of the throned God, the skirts that fill the Temple, the hovering seraphim, and the coal from the altar that purges."

"-Andrew MacLaren

Isaiah Week 2, Days 3 & 4: Isaiah 5: 24-30

Day 3-Isaiah 5:24-25

1. The first word is "therefore," and it anticipates a consequence.  Verse 24 explains that "So their root will be as rottenness...."

2.  The root is "because they have rejected the law of the Lord."

3. John 8:28-29, This compares to Jesus as "I do nothing of myself but as the Father has taught me...for I always do the things that please Him."

John 14:30-31, "but that the world would know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so do I."

Hebrews 10:5-10  First Paul notes that in sacrifices and offerings for sin, the Lord had no pleasure.  But the Son's mission was different, "I come to do thy will, O God."

In comparison, by default, I do thing that please and benefit me.  I have to push myself toward the higher goal of pleasing Him.  It's not my default. If I'm honest, sometimes I succeed, but often I fail.

I am impressed by how clear sighted Christ always is/was---He knew his mission and although disliked the path he had to walk at times, stuck to the mission without exception.  He also saw others through this clear lens--not what they were in worldly terms, but in terms of the state of their heart.
Although he was empathetic to their worldly concerns, he never confused them in weight with eternal concerns.

4.  According to Amos 1:1, the disaster in store for them is an earthquake.  Zechariah 14:5 predicts they will run to the mountains.

Day 4--Isaiah 5:26-30

1. He stretched His hand out and struck them, the mountains quaked, and corpses lined the streets like refuse (v. 25).  He will send Assyria as an instrument of judgement against Judah.  Assyria will take spoils and tread them down "mire in the streets" (Isaiah 10:5-6).

2. The picture of His judgement in Isaiah 5:20 is that of a Lion (Assyria?) pouncing on his victim with no one to help.

Isaiah Week 2, Day 2: Isaiah 5:8-23

The futility of those who choose to go their own way is described in Isaiah 5:

"Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope" (v. 18, KJ).
"What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! (v. 18 NLT)

From this Isaiah Bible study commentary:

"They sinned and dared God to punish them. When punishment didn't come immediately, they chose to continue doing evil.  Raymond C. Ortlund asks us to  "Picture people, not horses, harnessed to a heavy wagon, pulling it along, straining with all their might"  Isaiah understands the burden that sin is.  But we do it to ourselves. Why?  Because sin is deceitful (Hebrews 3:12).  This is what is meant by cords of falsehood (v. 18)"  -Grace Church Memphis, Isaiah study

"That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (v. 19-21).

Q1. The six woe's of Isaiah 5 are:

1. Woe to those who buy up houses and fields to greedily add to their possessions (v 7-8).

2. Woe to those who over indulge in alcohol (v 12)

3. Woe to those who drag falsehood and sin after them like a cart (v 18-19)

4. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil (blurring morality) (v 20)

5. Woe to those who are proud in their own eyes  (v 21)

6. Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe--pervert justice (v 23)

Q2.  Do I see myself in any of these woes?  I think there is always danger of slipping into pride and fooling ourselves by dragging sin/falsehood behind us instead of trusting God with the upright.  In our current culture, it requires vigilant discernment to call good good and evil evil--particularly since moral relativism is the dominant flavor of thought.

Isaiah Week 2, Day 1: Isaiah 5:1-7

The vineyard metaphor continues from the perspective of the vineyard owner who has done all he can to care for it, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" Isaiah 5:4


1. The vineyard represents Israel: "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting." Isaiah 5:7.

Psalm 80:8-9: "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land."

Jeremiah 2:21: "Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?"

There is this overarching sense that God was faithful to his side of things and Israel was not.

2. What had the Lord done for his vineyard?  Everything He could---he brought it out of Egypt, cleared the land before it, planted it, "didst cause it to take deep root, " and "fill the land."

Exodus 13:21-22 describes how God went before them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Exodus 15:1-18 describes how the Lord allowed them to escape Pharoah and Israel's enemies, the deliverance through the Red Sea, and the way that the Lord caused the other nations to fear Israel.  The picture is again of Israel being given choice conditions,   "Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established" (v. 17).

Deuteronomy 32:3-12 recounts how the Lord brought Israel up as a lost nation in the desert,
as "the apple of my eye," protecting them.  They were found in a desert

Joshua 23:23-5 tells how the Lord has pushed back nations and given them to Israel so they may possess the land.

2 Chronicles 36:15  God sent messengers to them (prophets) but they consistently mocked them.

3. Because of Israel's choices, the Lord says "I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured.  I  will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down." Isaiah 5 (v.5)

Luke 3:8-9  Vine and branches passage.  Every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

John 15:1-8  "Every branch in me [Jesus] that does not bear fruit he takes away." Branches that do bear fruit are pruned.  If anyone does not abide in Christ, he is thrown away like a branch and withers (v 5) These branches are gathered together and burned.

Galatians 5:22-23  "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy..."

"If we be fruitful, bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit, there is no law against us." -BI, N Rogers

4.  In John 15, Jesus describes himself as the "True Vine" and the Father as the "vine dresser."

"The fruit for which the culture is bestowed is moral. God looked for judgement and for righteousness."   Joseph Parker