The Victorious Word of God

Isaiah 24:1-23

Introduction

After our break over the summer we are back in Isaiah

If you’re new with us today, our habit is to make our way through books of the Bible

Allows us to understand the Scriptures in context (& in context of whole Bible)

Isaiah is big & intimidating but very important for us to understand

It is the most quoted OT book in the NT

While it has historical content it also teaches us about the 1st & 2nd advents of Jesus

The theme of Isaiah is in the prophets name: Yahweh saves

This is a book about how God delivers His people

To do this God must judge and discipline

READ Isaiah 24

As we enter Isaiah 24 we come to the end of a cycle of judgments that began back in Isaiah 13

These were a cycle of judgments on specific nations for the sin & rebellion

Isaiah 24 is the ‘cap’ on these judgments

Expands to judgment on the earth not just particular nations

Takes us to the grand end of all the judgments

Isaiah 24-27 is often called Isaiah’s Little Apocalypse

Apocalypse doesn’t mean catastrophe or destruction

Apocalypse means unveiling, revealing (Revelation)

Not a complete unveiling, there is still much mystery to unfold

Like Isaiah is fond of doing, much of it is written as poetry and song

It begins here in Isa 24 with God’s judgment

Isa 25-27 turns to songs of praise culminating in proclamation of God’s great victory

Isaiah 1:2 “2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me;”

Again, Isaiah emphasises the word of God (Isa. 24:3)

The victorious Word of God

Silences the Songs of the World

Isaiah 24:1-12

The Victorious Word of God

Isaiah 24:1-3

God is the enemy and the victor (Isa. 24:1)

Way Isaiah speaks in universal terms like the earth & recurrence of phrase in that day indicates to us a great and final judgment is in mind

It begins emphatically with God standing against the earth and inhabitants

His presence isn’t in peace, gentleness but wrath, anger and violence

This is hard for many people to understand & often see this as distinct from a ‘NT God’

Here God comes to make war

Isa. 24:3 says He will utterly plunder

Plunder implies victory but especially the idea of taking away the spoils of war

God is presented emphatically as the victor over his enemies

If that makes you uncomfortable or confused please stay with me

His judgment is universal (Isa. 24:2)

This verse seems pretty straight forward to understand

God isn’t a respector of persons

As we’ve seen God judges all the nations around Israel but He has also judged Israel for their sin

Here the idea is that all will be subject to His judgment

Judgment is coming & it will fall on everyone alike

His judgment is determined (Isa. 24:3)

It is last phrase of this verse which gives us our title

This is the proclamation of God, He has spoken it

That is, this judgment is determined, certain to come to pass

There is no changing the event or the outcome

God will judge & He will be victorious!

The Earth Mourns

Isaiah 24:4-5

We’ve defiled creation

Important that we recognise the creation, garden, flood motifs in the passage

God’s grand work in history is leading us from garden (Eden) to garden (eternity)

In these 2 verses we must call to mind God purpose & commission in the garden of Eden

Why does the earth mourn and fade? Under the curse of God

Romans 8:22 “22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Of course, underlying that curse is the sin of mankind

Part of the curse on the earth is our mismanagement of God’s creation

We were commissioned to be good stewards of God’s creation not abuse it for our own pleasure

Neither were we meant to deify creation

e.g. If you use a product in a way it wasn’t designed & it breaks, the warranty no longer applies

It broke because you didn’t follow the manufacturers instructions

The earth is defiled because we disobeyed God

We’ve rejected the Creator

We broke His laws, changed His decrees to suit ourselves

Isaiah seems to use ‘laws’ not in the sense of Mosaic law but in the sense of ‘the natural order of things’ as Paul does

Romans 1:28 “28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;”

Judgment comes because we abused God’s creation and we rejected His authority over creation, including us

We broken the covenant

Culminates in breaking a covenant

There are several covenants in Bible called everlasting so what does Isaiah mean?

Noahic (Gen. 9:16); Abrahamic (Ps. 105:10); Davidic (2 Sam. 23:5); New/Messianic (Jer. 31:31-34)

Given the judgement, destruction of the passage & flood imagery used our minds are drawn to the Noahic Covenant

World, except Noah & family, was destroyed because of their rejection of God

God didn’t promise never to judge again, only that He wouldn’t do it by flood

Isaiah describes a world in the same condition as that of Noah’s days

Covenant is an extremely important concept to understand God, His ways & His relationship to us

Covenant is a major underlying theme of the chapter

We see humanity breaking covenant & God keeping covenant (kingdom)

In sight of this chapter are fulfillment of covenants with Abraham, Israel as a nation, David culminating in the New Covenant

Covenant/promise is important because it is the foundation of any relationship with God

We relate to God covenantally because God is far above us - not an equal relationship

This is one reason why I use the name Yahweh

God has covenanted Himself to His people

God has made promises that He will keep

It is God’s covenant faithfulness that gives us confidence & security in our salvation

As Dispensationalists we understand God moving His purpose forward through covenants

7 Dispensations: Innocence, conscience, human governement, promise, law, grace, Kingdom

Covenant: Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, New

Here, because we have broken our responsibility God holds mankind responsible

The Joy is Gone

Isaiah 24:6-12

The celebration ends

Image here is of the rejoicing & celebration that follows harvest

World has rejoiced & celebrated in their rebellion against God

Lived for our own pleasure & selfish satisfaction

We’ve lived as if we were god & everything was made for our enjoyment

When God comes in judgment all the merriment will cease

The singing & the dancing end

Joy & singing doesn’t end because God is a mean ogre who doesn’t like joy

It ends because celebration was in defiance of God & His laws

Our satisfaction is lost

Isaiah’s choice of this celebration as example is instructive

Seems to deliberately use grape harvest & drinking wine with purpose

Not as command not to drink

Rather it seems to be about how deeply it was connected with celebration & joy

Artificial nature of their joy, numbing effect it has on life

Illustration of dulling ourselves to the truth of life

Drink they enjoyed has become bitter - satisfaction & joy is gone

Like Ecclesiastes we’re shown that when we pursue satisfaction in this life only we end up empty handed

Isa. 24:10 - safely understood probably is a reference to all cities in general

confusion is same word as Gen. 1:2 (empty) & can mean chaos

Given how significant a role Babylon has played in Isaiah it’s possible he has this in mind

Babylon in it’s greater, symbolic sense

Helps make some sense of Babylon in John’s apocalypse

Conclusion 1

The victorious word of God silences the songs of the world but...

Inspires the Songs of the Redeemed

Isaiah 24:13-16

The Remnant is Saved

Isaiah 24:13-15

God will glean His people

From all over the world

They Sing the Song of the Redeemed

Isaiah 24:16

Praise to God

Worthy is the Lamb

The victorious word of God silences the songs of the world, inspires the songs of the redeemed and...

Causes Fear and Glory

Isaiah 24:16-23

The Fear of God

Isaiah 24:16-20

Stand in awe (Isa. 24:16)

Sin is crushed (Isa. 24:17-23)

The Victory of God

Isaiah 24:21-22

His universal victory (Isa. 24:21)

His enemies punished (Isa. 24:22)

The Glory of God

Isaiah 24:23

God will reign in glory

God’s glory is our good

Conclusion

The victorious word of God silences the songs of the world, inspires the songs of the redeemed and causes us to fear and glorify God