Oracles Against the Nations
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
In Isaiah
Book of prophecy
about 700BC
The First 39 Chapters have lots of Judgement.
A lot of the Bible is like this, it’s good for us to sit in it, to understand it, to feel the weight of it.
The darkness, the wrath and the judgment make the Salvation of Jesus all the sweeter!
Oracles Against the Nations
Oracles Against the Nations
This is a feature of many prophetic books.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel & Amos famous for these, also a couple others.
These oracles against the nations are directed at nations within the geopolitical sphere of Israel. You’re not going to get references to China in these lists, because even though there's lots going on in China, it’s irrelevant to the context if Israel.
Isaiah has a pretty comprehensive set of oracles against the nations.
This section of Isaiah 13-20 is the first part, and here is addressed:
Babylon
Assyria/Asshur
Philistia
Moab
Syria/Aram
Cush/Nubia/Ethiopia
Egypt
Instead of Going through each oracle one at a time, I thought it would be beneficial to tackle this a little differently.
You know our normal pattern is to look at each passage of scripture, one after the other, and make our way through the Bible.
Today I want to preach on the overarching pattern & themes that come up here.
I’m going to give you homework. We will identify several features of these Oracles, and maybe this afternoon or this week, I encourage you to sit down and read through these oracles in 13-20 and see how many features you can identify in each of the oracles.
Isaiah 20 is the odd one out for our Purposes here this morning, but we’ll touch on that breifly a little later.
Not every feature is in every Oracle, but you should be able to observe the pattern.
Lets dive into our First feature:
1. God is Over the Nations
1. God is Over the Nations
In Chapters 1-11, while we have had a variety of stuff, one of the big themes is that God is bringing Judgment to his own people, Judah & Israel. They have broken covenant, they have been rebellious, and God will cut them back to a stump of a nation and send them off into exile.
But there is constant hope - even in the midst of their judgment God promises a future, a Messaiah, a Davidic King who will rule. God promises his people salvation which is ultimately found in Jesus Christ.
The switch in Ch 13 is that we’re now looking around at the geopolitical world around Judah.
These are not the special, chosen people of God, But through the prophet Isaiah God addresses those other nations to speak to his own people.
Even though these oracles are directed at each nation, it is like when you say something to someone, while expecting and hoping that someone else listening in on the conversation will hear you.
So these oracles are in some sense a comforting word to Judah “It’s not just you who is getting judged, God is just and he will judge the other nations too” - he will hold them to account, he will deal with your enemies, he is powerful to bring them to heel.
Now the fact that God is over these other nations is not something to be taken for granted.
Many of us learned pretty early on that God is the God of Gods, that he is all-powerful, all-mighty, omni-potent. Nothing is too hard for him and no one can escape His reach.
But in the ancient near east they didn’t think about gods that way. They thought of gods more like strong men.
They have limited power, but they can have a strong hold over a certain area.
They need to be fed in order to be kept happy.
They can be defeated by other gods.
So, many people thought the Syrians have Dagon, Israel has YHWY. Egypt has their gods and we have ours.
So then if one nation wars against another and wins, their god must be stronger than ours, so we will ditch our god and worship theirs because he’s obviously better.
The Bible teaches, and history has shown that our God is not like the gods of the nations. He is over all, and all powerful.
So while they were off doing their own thing, these messages were coming from God through Isaiah and other prophets: “I’m the God of God’s, LORD of Hosts and you need to serve me. I will hold you too account, I will be the one to build you up or bring you down.”
Lets look at an example in the text.
God says to Assyria
The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
God makes the plans, and what he says comes to pass, no ifs buts or maybes! His Word stands.
every oracle against the nation either assumes, or shows that God is the one who is in control of international affairs. He is the one who really decides how things turn out.
another example
An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
Their idols are nothing, the LORD YHWH is the one who has true power to bless or diminish a nation.
They should fear him, and seek him, not the idols that they made with their own hands.
Apply
Now You may think we have progressed beyond this kind of thinking. There are few people in the world today who believe in gods limited by geography and who are worshiped though idols.
But here’s the problem - we still don’t fear the LORD. The nations are off doing their thing, indifferent to God.
Like the nations around Judah, they’re doing their own thing, and assuming that the God of Israel is irrelevant to their affairs - but God is actually the one who is over their affairs, and the one who is in control.
This means 2 things for us:
God is over our nation, and he is not indifferent to what happens here. We should bow the knee!
We can take comfort knowing that whether Ukraine is at war with Russia, Israel is at war with Hamas & Hezbolah, whether or not China ever attacks Taiwan, God is over all. He will hold to account. Whether our nation lasts 1000years, or whether it ends next year, the LORD has planned, and so shall it be.
2. Nations are Promised Judgment
2. Nations are Promised Judgment
The second feature is that the Oracles promise Judgment on these nations. I don’t think any of these oracles are positive in the Bible, it is always a word of judgment (correct me if I’m wrong!).
An "oracle” is a weight. It is a burden, both because the prophet receives a burden from the Lord to proclaim the word, but I suggest it is a weight because it is spelling out doom and destruction for many peoples.
Usually in these oracles the judgement is spelled out is some detail. It will touch on Geography, cities, reputation, their history. Each oracle is tailored to that nation specifically. Some times God even spells out how the judgement will unfold, it may be another nation that comes and takes over, it may be famine and disease.
Lets look at an example:
An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
Damasucs is the capital of Syria/Aram.
God addresses a specific area - Damsucus, cities of Aroer.
God’s judgment means desolate cities, ruins.
It will be so desolate that the herds of animals won’t get frightened by people. What was an urban center will essentially be rural pasture.
Here’s another:
Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.
God will raise up another nation to take over, and that’s exactly what happened!
These Oracles appear connected to the Day of the Lord, spelling out what is an extension of the DoL discussed in previous chapters.
Nations are Promised Judgement, even today
God didn’t stop caring about the nations when Jesus came, it was his rescue mission!
In Revelation, the kings and rulers of the earth are judged.
God does not change, so so we should not expect that somehow he isn’t active in world affairs.
It may not be on our preferred timeline, but sooner or later God judges the nations.
3. Nations Fall Because of Pride
3. Nations Fall Because of Pride
We need to answer the why. Why does god judge these nations?
God expects nations to act righteously, this is because we all have natural law. He doesn’t expect them to make a tabernacle - that was special revelation given to Israel, but he does expect them to be humble, and to pursue justice.
There are various sins that rulers and nations can commit, but the base problem is usually pride. Pride is the problem. Because of pride, nations will exalt themselves. Because of pride they will act arrogantly. Because of pride they will ignore God and big note themselves. Lets look at an example for Babylon:
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
Pride is an individual sin, and a collective sin.
We should not exult ourselves, either are individuals or as a group.
Our pride in Aus is calling good evil and evil good. Turning aside form God’s law and design.
Pride, repent of this sin as individuals and as a nation.
4. The Nations Hope is through Israel
4. The Nations Hope is through Israel
So is there any hope for the nations? Yes!
God will bless the nations through Israel!
Examples:
At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts.
For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”
The Sign-act Prophecy
The Sign-act Prophecy
Then the Lord said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt.
So What?
So What?
I’m going to give you homework. We will identify several features of these Oracles, and maybe this afternoon or this week, I encourage you to sit down and read through these oracles in 13-20 and see how many features you can identify in each of the oracles.
1. God is over all nations
2. Nations are promised Judgment.
3. The judgment is coming because of Pride
4. Their only hope is through Israel! Jesus!
