Isaiah 3.4

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Jonathan

Let’s finish off chapter Isaiah 29:15-24

Isaiah 29:15–24 ESV

15 Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” 16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? 17 Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? 18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. 19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, 21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. 23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Ah! The third WOE! This woe is to all who think they could run from the wisdom of God, for all those who think what they do in the secret remains a secret from the Lord. A woe to those who think the pot is greater and knows more than the potter.

That’s the central image in these first few verses, “Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me” or “he has no understanding.”

V. 16 says, “you turn things upside down!” They are perverting or subverting the way of the Lord. The leaders of Jerusalem have taken up their counsel as if God did not exist, and the result is that ordinary people are oppressed and that ordinary people are at the mercy of their ill-advised political leaders and the newly forged alliances with pagan nations.

That’s the thing to remember here, that your average Israelite was at the mercy of their kings and leaders.

But this section that follows shows God doing an overturning work Himself, a subverting work, if you will. The blind will see, the deaf will hear. The helpless will be empowered, the meek will receive fresh joy. And those ruthless, the scoffers, all who have perverted justice, subverted the way of the Lord, they will be cut off!

It’s a reminder: if the world seems unfair, that the wicked always prosper. We must be reminded that God’s justice will prevail in the end. In the end of all things, on THAT day, those in high positions will be brought low and it is the humble and meek who will inherit the earth. It is humility that allows us to see ourselves as we are: sinners in need of God’s grace.

It is in this humility that we can earnestly seek God for the salvation only he can provide. That we can, in all humility, say: we cannot save ourselves, we need help and we trust that Jesus is the help we need.

Now let’s move on to chapter 30 where the key issue for Judah: where is their faith placed? Here’s how we’ll look at it. It’s an interesting structure. Let’s first look at Isaiah 30:1-17

The pattern we’ll see in this section is much like what we’ve seen before: God’s denunciation through the prophet of the people’s actions and specifically here, their misplaced faith, and followed by a promise. And as you can imagine the message is this: human plans will fail and all your scheming cannot save you. Your only resource is God and the good news? He wants to save you! And He will save you! So why go anywhere else?

Isaiah 30:1–17 ESV

1 “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; 2 who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. 4 For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, 5 everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.” 6 An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. 7 Egypt’s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.” 8 And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. 9 For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; 10 who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, 11 leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” 12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, 13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; 14 and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.” 15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, 16 and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. 17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.

Here we see the considerable foolishness of trusting in Egypt and it starts with the 4th WOE!. As we’ve seen already in the book of Isaiah, God is clear: Egypt has nothing that Judah does not already have in YHWH, why then, again, go to Egypt?

What does God call his people Judah? Stubborn children! This functions in two ways— 1) it is God claiming them as His children, so there’s a positive aspect here, but 2) it is a comment and a rebuke regarding their obstinance. They are stubborn children who do not listen to their Father. They carry out their own plan—NOT His!—and they make an alliance but not of God’s will. The word here for alliance is an interesting one because it is typically a word that means “to pour out” as in a drink offering, pouring out an offering unto the Lord. So you see? They’re making an offering to someone other than YHWH. I would say, this is a bad idea.

V. 2 says that they have set out to go down to Egypt—without asking God for guidance. And the irony here is that in ancient Israelite’s worldview, Egypt=death! Not only is it a bad idea to go to the place of death, but it was entirely foolish to go down to the place of death and seek life. This is the idea behind Isa. 28:15 in which the prophet calls out the people for making a covenant with death, with Sheol.

So they go to the place of death, and what are they looking for? To take refuge in Pharaoh and find shelter in Him? Protection in the shadow of Egypt? We should say: WHAT? This surely is a stubborn and foolish people. They are turning to Egypt and Pharaoh, the nation that was their former enslaver, they’re looking to their former oppressor for refuge and protection? This is all wrong!

Psalm 27:1 “1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

I’m going to use this analogy very carefully and intentionally. The image it made me think of this week is of an abused wife always going back to her husband. I use the image carefully because it is easy to be an outside and look at that situation and say: that’s crazy, why would she do that! But when you’re in it, for whatever reason, it seems like the best thing to do, or it seems like the only option.

For whatever reason, Judah finds herself drawn to the safety of Pharaoh and Egypt rather than the safety of YHWH.

But look at how it continues. V. 3, the protection of Pharaoh shall turn to your shame. The shelter of Egypt will be your humiliation. Though, v. 4, Pharaoh’s kingdom and reach is cast, it doesn’t matter, everyone will be shamed by this alliance. The language here—especially shame and humiliation—makes this point: you should feel disgraced and embarrassed, Judah, by your constant running back to Egypt.

Then v. 6-7 are a separate poem of sorts—an oracle on the beasts of Negeb—and it is describing the ambassadors of Judah making their way to Egypt with great riches through a treacherous land filled with dangerous beasts. They are risking a great deal, the lives of th convoy, the riches that they’re pouring out in an alliance with Egypt. And yet, they do all this for “a people that cannot profit them.” Egypt’s help is worthless. I don’t have to interpret that for you.

Then God gives Egypt a nickname: Rahab who sits still.

"Rahab" was a nickname for Egypt that means "turbulence" or "boastfulness," which Isaiah here juxtaposes with the characterization "the Do-nothing" ("who sits still"). This suggests that Egypt, despite its grand promises (boastfulness), fails to deliver any effective support. Egypt cannot help.

This next section, v. 8-17, is all about the people rejecting this warning. Isaiah is told to write this prophecy on a tablet, inscribe it in a book so that it will be a witness to the people of their obstinance and their stubbornness and they are unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord. It’s not that they don’t know what the instruction of the Lord is, it’s that they are totally unwilling to even hear it! They will say to their prophets and seers: it’d be better if you would not prophesy to us something right and true, rather could you smooth it out. “Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

It reminds me of Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:3 “3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”

They just don’t want to hear from God. That’s their posture. It’s tragic, children who have turned their back on their father.

And the result of this unfaithfulness? The result of this rejection of God? Isaiah 30:12 “12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,”

There will be, in a warning we’ve heard again and again, destruction and punishment.

Interesting for our section here is v. 15-16. Let’s look there. Isaiah 30:15–16 “15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, 16 and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift.”

In returning and rest you shall be saved. Do you see what’s on offer to Judah? Return to me, repent, and then find rest! It’s not, repent and earn your way back. It’s not return to me and do a bunch of work. No! It’s return to me and find rest. Salvation is connect with rest. YET they say no, we will flee (flee from the destruction of Assyria or a future Babylon) on horses.

What do horses represent? Egypt and their military might! Instead of trusting in God, they want horses! Earlier it was:

Now, before we get to the second half of 30. I want us to turn to the first three verses of chapter 31 because it carries on this same thrust:

Isaiah 31:1–3 “1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! 2 And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 3 The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.”

Ah! This is the fifth woe and it is one that basically continues the 4th woe—we’ll see in a minute what the intervening passage in chapter 30 was all about. But here the woe is SO specific: Woe to those who go to Egypt and rely on horses.

we trust in man not God. Now it’s: we trust in animals not God! This whole section of Isaiah reminds me of Psalm 20:6-9

Psalm 20:6–9 ESV

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. 9 O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

Some trust in chariots and horses! But we trust in the name of the Lord. Yet it is not so for Judah in Isaiah’s day.

II. God’s grace (30:18-33)

*news article: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/correspondence-between-assyrian-empire-and-king-of-judah-uncovered-in-jerusalem/

*ACC Invitation*

Now, let’s head back to chapter Isaiah 30:18-33

Isaiah 30:18–33 ESV

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 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. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” 23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

The LORD waits to be gracious to you. GOD wants to be gracious to His people. He does not offer his grace begrudgingly, he wants to give it! Blessed are those who wait on Him. It’s a call to repentance but it’s also a promise that God will be gracious to this people.

Look at v. 18, He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice.

This is fascinating to me because this shows just how marvelous his mercy is because we know that His justice is true and holy.

The Lord will be gracious and this grace will lead to repentance. Look at v. 20: Though God gives them affliction and adversity, He will not hide Himself, they will see their teacher and they shall be given ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts that want to walk in His way.

God’s grace leads to repentance, for they will turn away from their idols, they will scatter their idols and all their unclean things. And a part of this promise is also of future provision. There will be a day when they will reap a great harvest, their lives will be lit by the light of God and their wounds will be healed.

I think we’ll see this fulfilled in part in places like the book of Ezra when God’s people return to Jerusalem and then weep over their unfaithfulness and sin and attempt to return to covenant faithfulness. BUT this passage, of course, finds it’s ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus is the good teacher, it is Jesus who Himself takes the bread of adversity and the water of affliction on Himself so we can be saved and so He could give us His spirit that we may walk in his ways.

III. Call to repentance and assurance (31:4-9)

Isaiah 31:4–9 ESV

4 For thus the Lord said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 5 Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.” 6 Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. 8 “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. 9 His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.