God Longs to be Gracious to You (Isaiah 30-31)

Isaiah 30-31

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isa 30:18) "Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against" (Isa 31:6, NIV).

Theme: Though we stubbornly and proudly insist on relying on our own plans instead of trusting God, yet God still longs to be gracious to us. This is the amazing logic of grace.

Isaiah 30 and 31 are connected because they both begin by denouncing the alliance with Egypt in the most explicit terms (Isa 30:1-5; 31:1-3).

How does God manifest his grace? God's people rebelliously and stubbornly insisted on carrying out their own plans of relying on Egypt instead of God (Isa 30:1-5; 31:1-3). Despite refusing to trust God (Isa 30:1-17), God still longs to be gracious to his people (Isa 30:18). How? There are three images of the Lord depicted in Isa 30:19-33.

1. Teacher (Isa 30:19-22).
2. Healer (Isa 30:23-26).
3. Warrior (Isa 30:27-33).
   

References:

1. The Amazing Logic of Grace: We Forsake God, Therefore He is Gracious (Isaiah 30:18). My daily bread Dec 2010. Stubborn children with their own plans. When his people are faithless, God remains faithful.
   
• Refusing God's rest, quietness and peace (1-17). Rather than turning to God, the people "add sin to sin" (Isa 30:1) and apathetically fail to ask for divine direction, instead seeking "shelter in the shadow of Egypt" (Isa 30:2-3). But what at first appears a safe haven ends up being a position of shame and disgrace (Isa 30:4-5). What is Egypt in comparison to the Creator? In the long run, her "help is worthless and empty" (Isa 30:7), whereas God is our ever present help in time of need (Ps 46:1; Heb 4:16).
• The amazing logic of grace (18-33). Sometimes we imagine God prefers punishment to pardon, but Isaiah reminds his listeners, "the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you" (Isa 30:18). He is exalted as he comes low, forgiving, restoring, and enlivening. Those who "wait for him" experience his merciful justice. Isaiah promises, "in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people," he will go on to heal the "wounds inflicted by his blow" (Isa 30:26). These words find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ, as we see that the blow against our sin fell on him. By his wounds we are healed (Isa 53:5; 1 Pet 2:24).
  
2. The Difference Between God's Rule and Man's Rule (Isaiah 31,32). My daily bread Dec 2010. Ch. 31-32 is about those who go down to Egypt for help. God calls his people to stop trusting in man and return to him, promising them the Messiah and his Spirit. Ch. 31 echos a common refrain throughout Isaiah. It is the warning not to trust in political muscle more than in God's provision (Isa 31:1). Egypt again represents military and economic strength (Isa 31:1-3), yet God will win the battle as he fights on behalf of Zion (Isa 31:4-5). Trusting in Egypt represents trusting in the "idols" of silver and gold (Isa 31:7), but God's people must instead "turn to him" (Isa 31:6) who created such materials and stands over even the strongest powers (e.g., Assyria; Isa 31:8-9).
3. Webb, Barry G. The Message of Isaiah, 126-134. A final solution: dependence on Egypt (30:1-31:9).
• Rebellious children (30:1-17).
• Gracious Lord (30:18).
• Grace in action (30:19-33). God as teacher (19-22), healer (23-26), warrior (27-33).
  
• Reasons for repentance (31:1-5).
• Repentance and its fruits (31:6-9).
4. Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah.
• (213-225) The fourth woe: Faithlessness and faithfulness (30:1-33).
• Contemporary events: Egypt no help (1-7).
• The word refused (8-17).
• The promise kept (18-26).
• Contemporary events: Assyria no threat (27-33).
• (225-233) The fifth woe: All things new (31:1-32:20).
• Disaster and deliverance (31:1-5).
• The first summons: repentance (31:6-9).
• Righteous King, new society (32:1-8).
• The second summons: hearing (32:9-14).
• Outpoured Spirit, new society (32:15-18).
• Epilogue: Blessedness beyond disaster (32:19-20).
  

Refusing to Rest and to Rely on God (Isaiah 28-29)

Isaiah 28:1-29; 12, 16

"God has told his people, 'Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.' But they would not listen" (Isa 28:12, NLT). "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic'" (Isa 28:16, NIV). "Therefore the Lord God said: 'Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable'" (Isa 28:16, HCSB).

Why is "woe" pronounced on God's people, Ephraim [northern Israel] (Isa 28:1) and Ariel [Jerusalem] (Isa 29:1)? It is because they were:

1. Remaining in pride (28:1-6).
2. Rejecting rest in God and his word (28:7-13).
3. Refusing to rely on God (28:14-22).
4. Resisting instruction (28:23-29).
5. Relying on ritualism and politics and hiding their plans from God (29:1-24).

References:

1. We Reject God's Sure Foundation by Our Faulty Reliance on Man (Isaiah 28). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
2. Empty Ritualism, Clandestine Politics (Isaiah 29:13,15). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
   
3. Motyer, J Alec. Isaiah. The first woe: The word of God and the purposes of God (28:1-29).
• Samaria: a surprising hope (1-6).
• Jerusalem: the inescapable word (7-22).
• The discriminating Lord (23-29).
  
4. Webb, Barry G. The Message of Isaiah. Foolish leaders and false counsel (28:1-29; 29:1-24).
• The drunkards of Ephraim (28:1-13). Too proud to listen to God and his Word.
  
• The covenant with death (28:14-22). Determined to depend on Egypt.
  
• The parable of the farmer (28:23-29). Insistent on being stupid.
  
• Fire in the fireplace (29:1-24). Depending on politics, the real world and human wisdom, rather than God.
  

Human Schemes and God's Plans (Isaiah 28-35)

Isaiah 28-35; 28:16; 30:18; 31:1; 33:17

"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic'" (Isa 28:16, NIV). "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you..." (Isa 30:18a). "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord" (Isa 31:1, NIV; Ps 20:7). "Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar" (Isa 33:17, NIV).

Whom will you trust and rely on? Isa 26:4 says, "Trust in Lord Forever." The key issue in Isaiah 28-35 (and one of the key themes of the entire book of Isaiah) is whether Judah--in particular its leaders--will rely on Egypt or on the Lord in the face of the growing threat posed by the ever-increasing power of Assyria. This is immediately before the account of Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in Isaiah 36-37. This invasion was a punitive action taken by Sennacherib in response to a revolt led by Hezekiah (Isa 37:9ff). He had refused to pay any further tribute to Assyria and had annexed the Philistine cities as far south as Gaza which, like Judah, had been part of the Assyrian empire (2 Ki 18:7-8). Chs. 28-35 show how strongly and consistently Isaiah had opposed the foolish counsel of those at court who counseled Hezekiah to rely on Egypt, as the crisis deepened leading up to the events recorded in ch. 36-37. Isaiah 30-31, which stand more or less centrally within the unit (chs. 28-35), are wholly taken up with this issue, as pointedly and succinctly pointed out in Isa 31:1.

The Lord speaks into history (chs. 28-33), moving events toward final judgment and salvation (chs. 34-35). God is the powerful ally of his people, above all earthly powers. Therefore, to trust in him is a wise policy for real life in the here and now. In Isaiah 28-35, Isaiah warns his people and Assyria--in six woes and laments with assurances--against the folly of self-trust, promising God's abundant blessings to those who trust him.

1. The first woe: the word of God and the purposes of God (28:1-29). Refusing rest and reliance on God.
   
2. The second woe: is anything too hard for the Lord? (29:1-14) Hiding plans from God as though he is stupid.
   
3. The third woe: spiritual transformation (29:15-24).
4. The fourth woe: faithlessness and faithfulness (30:1-33).
5. The fifth woe: all things new (31:1-32:20).
6. The sixth woe: home at last (33:1-35:10).

The overall structure of chapters 28-35 can also be summarized as follows:

1. 28-29. The crisis: foolish leaders and false counsel. Refusing to rest and to rely on God (Isa 28:16).
   
2. 30-31. False solution: dependence on Egypt. God longs to be gracious to you (Isa 30:18).
   
3. 32-33. True solution: the reign of the Lord as king in the midst of his people.
4. 34. The "desert" which will result from trusting the nations.
5. 35. The "garden" which will result from trusting God.
   

References:

1. We Reject God's Sure Foundation by Our Faulty Reliance on Man (Isaiah 28). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
2. Empty Ritualism, Clandestine Politics (Isaiah 29:13,15). My daily bread, Dec 2010.
   
3. Outline of Isaiah 28, 29, 30, 31 —Warnings to Jerusalem. In Isaiah 28-39, Jerusalem is issued with a series of warnings,especially that their trust in Egypt as an ally is misplaced, and they should be trusting in God. These warnings are followed by encouragement, in the form of poems about the Messiah, "the King in his beauty" (Isa 33:17). Next Isaiah warns all nations that they are accountable to God.
   
4. Outline of Isaiah 32, 33, 34, 35 —The King in His Beauty. In the nearer future Judah will undergo great suffering and loss. But there is a time in the more distant future when a king will reign in a new Jerusalem that will never pass away. Those who dwell in this kingdom will be forgiven of their iniquity forever.
   
5. Isaiah: The Salvation of the Lord. 13 sermons and an overview of Isaiah: The Salvation of the Lord (by Ray Stedman, 1965): I often think of what occurred years ago to one of England's Bible teachers. As he hurried down to catch a train after one of the services at which he had been speaking, a man ran along the platform after him and caught him just as he was about to board the train. And the man said, "Oh, sir! I was in your meeting tonight and I heard you tell about a way by which man can find peace with God. I need help. I want to find my way to God. You help me."

   The teacher said, "I'm sorry. I haven't time. I've got to catch this train. But I will tell you what to do. Take this Bible and go to the nearest lamppost. Turn to Isaiah 53:6. Stoop down low and go in at the first 'all' and stand up straight and come out at the last 'all.'" Then he boarded the train and off he went.

   The man stood there for a minute, puzzled. He didn't know what to make of it. Then he said, "I'll do what he said." He took the Bible that the teacher had given him and went over to the nearest lamppost. "Now what was it he said?" he thought. "Oh, yes, find Isaiah 53:6." He found it."'All we like sheep have gone astray.' What did he say to do now? 'Stoop down low and go in at the first 'all'. Stand up straight and come out at the last 'all'. 'All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.'" "Oh," he said, "I see what he meant. I'm to admit that's the case with me. Stoop down low and go in at the first 'all'. Acknowledge that I've gone astray, that I've turned to my own way. Well, then what? Well, I'm to stand up straight and come out at the last 'all'. 'But the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' He bore it."

   In a moment the man saw it. The next night at the meeting he came up, handed the Bible to the teacher, and said, "Here is your Bible, and I want you to know that I stooped down and went in at the first 'all' and I stood up straight and came out at the last 'all'."

   Well, that is Isaiah's message. It is the message of the Bible -- the message of the word of God. Let's stand up straight and come out at the last 'all'.

6. The Defeat of the Forces of Evil and the Deliverance of the People of God (Isaiah 27:1-13).
   
7. The Deliverance of Judah's King (Isaiah 38:1-22).

Trust in the Lord Forever (Isaiah 24-27)

Isaiah 24-27

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. ⁴ Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal" (Isa 26:3-4, NIV). "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! ⁴ Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock" (Isa 26:3-4, NLT).

Trust in the Lord (Isa 26:4)--which results in perfect peace (Isa 26:3)--is the practical challenge that Isaiah lays down for God's people throughout the entire book (Isa 7:9; 10:20; 12:2; 30:15; 31:1; 32:17; 36:15; 42:17; 50:10; 57:13).

• "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" (Isa 7:9b, NIV).
• "In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel" (Isa 10:20, NIV).
• "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation" (Isa 12:2, NIV).
• This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it" (Isa 30:15, NIV).
• "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord" (Isa 31:1, NIV).
• "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever" (Isa 32:17, NIV).
• "Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, 'The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria'" (Isa 36:15).
• "But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame" (Isa 42:17, NIV).
• "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God" (Isa 50:10, NIV).
• "When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge [trusts] in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain" (Isa 57:13, NIV).
  

The theme of Isaiah 24-27 is the triumph of God, which is good news (with much singing) because it means that the reign of sin and death is at an end and the kingdom of God has at last come in its fullness.

Isaiah 24-27 is often referred to as "the Little Apocalypse," meaning "unveiling" of the end, which anticipates the better known apocalypse, Revelation. These four chapters constitute the climax of the whole second part of Isaiah (ch. 13-27). They turn our attention from divine judgment on individual nations to a global apocalyptic vision of the end of the whole earth. Particular nations are lost to view as the focus broadens to encompass the whole earth (Isa 24:1). This third and climactic vision is of God ruling the nations in judgment and salvation. Devastating judgment (ch. 24) is followed by song (Isa 25:1-5), feasting (25:6-8), song (25:9-12), more song (ch. 26) and still more song (27:1-11), with the last two verses (Isa 27:12-13) acting as a summary conclusion to the whole. While ch. 13-20 and 21-23 address particular nations, ch. 24-27 foresee the whole world in crisis at the end of history, but with the people of God wonderfully secured in their own city (Isa 24:4; 25:8; 26:19; 27:6). These chapters are thus often called "apocalyptic," since they depict the final conflict and God's victory in vivid images.

1. The earth laid waste (24:1-23). God's judgment on the whole earth. The wasted city.
   
• The city of meaninglessness (1-20).
• Ultimately ... the King! (21-23).
  
2. The great banquet (25:1-12). Salvation and provision: the world on Mount Zion. Wiping tears and swallowing up death forever.
   
3. Waiting for the glory that shall be (26:1-21). The strong city. God keeps in perfect peace those who trust in him.
   
4. Israel in God's ultimate purpose (27:1-13). The universal Israel. God's merciful dealing with his idolatrous people. The whole world will be fruitful. God destroys evil and brings all his people home. "Leviathan" (Isa 27:1)--an ancient symbol of evil in all its monstrous horror--represents powers—natural or supernatural—raging against God (Job 41:1; Ps 74:14; 104:26). God will cast down such powers "in that day," showing that there is only one true sovereign Lord (Isa 27:1). With the coming of King Jesus and the dawning of his kingdom we find Jesus similarly testifying that he "saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," cast down by God's authority (Lk 10:18-20).

References:

1. God's Judgment on the Whole Earth (Isaiah 24). My daily bread Dec 2010.
• The world order, where sin is exalted, will be completely laid waste (1-6).
• Worldly joy dries up and withers (7-13). The worldly lifestyle of escapist revelry falls silent.
• The redeemed sing (14-16): Glory to the Righteous One. The drunken binge of Isa 24:7-11 is replaced with the joyful worship of those redeemed from the world. They humbly admire the majesty of the Lord, giving glory to the covenant Lord, the God of Israel. … the Righteous One who alone rules in justice (Isa 12:1-6; 52:8-9; 65:14; Rev 5:9-10; 15:2-4).
• Judgment and punishment are acts of God (17-23). Isaiah's brief focus on these voices of joyful praise is quickly replaced by his return to an apocalyptic message. Sin has affected not just one person, not just one people, but all of humanity, of every nation. Under the weight of sin we stagger and, like a drunkard, we fail to distinguish the good from the evil. We have plunged into our own ruin (Hos 4:10-12; Eph 5:18).
  
2. Wiping Tears and Swallowing Up Death Forever (Isaiah 25). My daily bread Dec 2010. He Will Swallow Up Death Forever. While the poor (Isa 25:4) may be forgotten and mistreated by society (Isa 25:3, 5), God remains a refuge for them. The redeemed celebrate their liberation by God. The "elders" of Isa 24:23 now sing. To redeem a chosen remnant God will:
• Overthrow human tyranny and injustice (1-5).
• Relieve human sorrow (6-8). He will swallow up death forever (Isa 25:6; 1 Cor 15:54; Rev 21:4).
  
• Humble human pride (9-12).
  
3. God Keeps in Perfect Peace Those Who Trust in Him Forever (Isaiah 26:3-4). My daily bread Dec 2010. God will ordain peace. God achieves for his people their final and complete victory. The time perspective in 26:1-21 shifts between the past, present, and future. Judah's song (ch. 26) praises God and calls the people to be centered on their Lord.
• Peace, the most desired yet seemingly unattainable and unsustainable human quality, is found perfectly by those who trust in God steadfastly. A kind of peace is found in this world (Jn 14:27), but perfect peace transcends understanding (Phil 4:7), because it is a gift of grace from above (Isa 26:12). Those who know peace yearn for God from their inmost being morning and night (Isa 26:9). In contrast, though God shows favor to the wicked, they have no regard for God (Isa 26:10).
4. God's Merciful Dealing with His Own Idolatrous People (Isaiah 27). My daily bread Dec 2010.

But You Did Not Look To God (Isaiah 22-23)

Isaiah 22:1-15, 11; 23:1-18

"The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest. ⁹ You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool.¹⁰ You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. ¹¹ You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago. But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! 'Let us eat and drink,' you say, 'for tomorrow we die!' ¹⁴ The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: 'Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,' says the Lord, the Lord Almighty" (Isa 22:8-14, NIV).

Theme: Where do you find your security? The charge against Jerusalem is her self-sufficiency (Isa 22:8-11). In Isaiah 22, when the city (1-14), individual (15-19) and family (20-25) become self-sufficient, they have committed the unforgivable sin (Isa 22:14).

In their time of crisis (8a), the people of Jerusalem relied on their arsenal (8b), cannibalized the city to strengthen the walls (9a, 10), and secured a safe water-supply (9b, 11a). Shebna (15-19) is an important official with the spirit of self-reliance. In a different way Eliakim (20-25) would be caught in the same trap if he should come to see himself and allow himself to be seen as the chief support of others, as the indispensable man (23-25). The story line of this oracle is self-sufficiency.

1. The self-sufficient city (22:1-14): The people in general.
2. Cases in point (22:15-25): Shebna and Eliakim.
3. Self-sufficiency from wealth and pride (23:1-18). The fall and rise of Tyre.

I. The Self-Sufficient City (22:1-14)

The irony of the valley of vision (Isa 22:1, 5) is twofold: Jerusalem/Mount Zion (which is not a valley) has become a "valley." She was more than the locus of Isaiah's ministry. She was to be the focal point of his expectations (Isa 2:2-4; 25:6-9; 26:1-4; 33:20-24; 40:9; 54:1ff; 62:1ff; 66:10-13). But the spiritual vision to be expected there has become a blind and reckless drive for present pleasure without regard for God (Isa 22:11, 13). A strong disconnect is exposed between the superficial merriment and momentary glee of the people of Jerusalem (Isa 22:1-2a, 13) and the timely repentance called for by God (Isa 22:12). Catastrophe was coming to them (Isa 22:2b-8) in "the valley of vision" (Isa 22:1, 5), for they resisted turning to Yahweh. Thus, "in that day" their military and domestic preparations for security would not hold, exposing their vulnerability when attacked (Isa 22:8-14).

II. Cases in Point: Shebna and Eliakim (22:15-25)

Shebna, a self-possessed and arrogant leader in Jerusalem, is set out as an example of this false trust in the strength of foreign powers with their "glorious chariots" (Isa 22:18). Trusting in Egypt rather than Yahweh is a losing proposition. Shebna will be brought down and replaced by Eliakim, who is called God's "servant" (Isa 22:20-21). But even Eliakim, who is much more loyal than Shebna, will fall short. The "key of the house of David" will be given to him, and God will "fasten him like a peg in a secure place. . . . And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house" (Isa 22:22-24). Unfortunately, this responsibility and honor will prove too heavy for Eliakim to bear, and the "peg" will "give way" (Isa 22:25).

III. Self-sufficiency from wealth and pride: The fall and rise of Tyre (23:1-18)

The fifth oracle concerns the judgment—and redemption—of Tyre, here characterized as the world's prostitute (Isa 23:16). Faced with their own destruction, those living in Tyre struggled with a question: "Who has purposed this . . . ?" (Isa 23:8). There must be a reason behind it. There must be a larger narrative explaining this disaster. Isaiah wastes no time in answering their question: "The Lord of hosts has purposed it" (Isa 23:9). Why? Because of the "pompous pride" which aggressively put itself in a position above all others (e.g., "the bestower of crowns"; Isa 23:8) as the "honored of the earth" (Isa 23:9). Such arrogance can become a civic idol; Tyre had sold its soul. Consequently, the final image here is not one of wholesome health and harmonious delight but of a "forgotten prostitute" that would never be mistaken for an innocent or a life-giving beauty (Isa 23:16-18).

References:

1. Sin That Will Not Be Atoned For (Isaiah 22). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
2. God Will Humble the Proud (Isaiah 23). My daily bread from Dec 2010.

You Have Forgotten God Your Savior (Isaiah 17-21)

Isaiah 17-21; Key Verses: Isa 17:7-8, 10-11

"In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made" (Isa 17:7-8, NIV).

"You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, ¹¹ though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain" (Isa 17:10-11).

Theme: Idolatry causes us to depend and rely on our idols for our human security, and thus we forget that only God can be our Savior (Isa 17:10-11). Repentance involves turning away from our idols and turning to God (Isa 17:7-8).

What is to the west, east, north and south of Judah? The nations in Isaiah 13-23 were all threatened by Assyria at one time or other, and were all actual or potential partners with Judah in anti-Assyrian alliances. Philistia is to the west of Judah (14:28-32). Moah is to her east (15:1-16:14). Damascus [which includes Ephraim or the northern kingdom of Israel (Isa 17:3)], the capital of Syria (or Aram) is to her north (17:1-14). Cush [which embraces modern Ethiopia, Sudan and Somaliland] (18:1-7) and Egypt is to her south (19:1-20:6). This completes the four points of the compass. Wherever Judah looks, to the west, east, north or south, she sees only nations whose glory is fleeting and whose fate is sealed. God placed her with nowhere to look for her own security but to the Lord, who is the Lord and judge of them all.

Isaiah 17 expresses the same situation as in Isaiah 7, where an anti-Assyrian pact between Syria or Aram (Damascus) and Israel (Ephraim) attempted to force Judah (king Ahab) to join. Assyria would destroy both Syria and Israel. Damascus fell after a siege in 732 BC, and Samaria, capital of Israel, fell a decade later in 722 B.C. The repeated point Isaiah makes is simple: How foolish man (Israel/Ephraim) trusts in visible tangible security (such as Syria), rather than trusting in God Almighty, whose purposes will always prevail and will never be thwarted (Isa 14:27).

The two nations, Aram and Ephraim. Isaiah 17 is titled as an oracle against Damascus [the capital of Aram/Syria], but it is also against Ephraim, the northern kingdom of the people of God, because she is subsumed under Damascus, having sunk itself in the alliance (Isa 17:3, 4-6). Thus, Ephraim sought seeking security in Damascus, not in the Lord and failed to trust in the promises of God. She was finding salvation in a Gentile power instead of opening a way of salvation to the Gentiles.

Why did Israel (Ephraim) fall in 722 B.C.? Idolatry and unbelief. In one sense, Israel's fall was the result of her foolish alliance and collusion with Syria. But at the heart of her undoing was her long history of idolatry (Isa 17:7-8 is at the center of Isaiah 17), which eroded her commitment to the Lord (Isa 17:10-11). This also opened her to a politics of convenience and on relying on man and worldly wisdom, instead of trusting God (Isa 31:1; Ps 20:7).

Isaiah 18-20 are all concerned with Egypt in one way or another. The nations were all attempting to form political alliances in order to fight against and resist the expansionist and imperialist policies of Assyrian world domination. But the basic underlying message of this entire section (Isaiah 13-27) is that the crises we face will not be solved by looking to the world for solutions. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 Jn 2:17, NIV).

Why is there another prophecy against Babylon in Isaiah 21, in addition to Isaiah 13-14? It is because attention began to swing away from Egypt and towards Babylon as a prospective ally against Assyria. Witness the warm reception given to the ambassadors by Hezekiah in Isa 39:1-4. But Isaiah sees in this vision that Babylon, like Egypt, is doomed, and so by implication are those who align themselves with her. Thus, the warning in Isa 21:10, where "crushed on the threshing floor" is a metaphor for "sorely afflicted." In Isaiah 13-14 Babylon was a symbol, but here in Isaiah 21 it is a concrete nation. Isaiah is explaining that by looking to Babylon, Judah is potentially making Babylon's fate her own. Babylon would finally fall to a coalition of Medes and Persians under Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. The general import of the vision is clear: Babylon is doomed. Judah would be foolish in the extreme to link her own fortunes to those of Babylon, no matter how attractive this course of action may appear in the short term.

Pride Rejects God's Gracious Promises of Salvation (Isaiah 15-16)

Isaiah 16:1-14; 4b-5

"Make up your mind," Moab says. "Render a decision. Make your shadow like night—at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. ⁴ Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer." The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. ⁵ In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness. ⁶ We have heard of Moab's pride—how great is her arrogance!—of her conceit, her pride and her insolence; but her boasts are empty (Isa 16:3-6).

The whole book of Isaiah repeatedly expresses judgment and salvation, tragedy and triumph, devastation and deliverance, ruin and restoration.

Whom will you trust? Repeatedly through out Isaiah, God exposes the futility of man-centered hopes. It exposes the folly of self-sufficiency, pride and of trusting in man and relying on political alliances rather than God (Isa 7:9b; 31:1; Ps 20:7).

Isaiah 13-27 contain prophetic judgments against the nations. These judgments would be in the immediate future of the prophetic vision, perhaps with the Assyrian invasion. But they also allude to eschatological judgments (last days) as found in Revelation 4-19. Isaiah 13-14 describe the prophecy against Babylon. Isaiah 15-16 is the prophecy against Moab to the east of Judah (Isa 15:1-16:14), while the prophecy against Philistines (Isa 14:28-32), is to the west of Judah. Regarding Moab, Isaiah 15-16 may be divided as follows:

1. The lament (15:1-9). There was gloating and rejoicing at God's victory over evil in the demise of Babylon without taking pleasure in the death of anyone or any nation. But there was no gloating here with Moab. The speaker's heart cries out for her (Isa 15:5a) and God executes judgment with tears in his eyes. There is also much wailing in Moab (Isa 15:2-5, 80. It is the despairing cry of those who are without hope because they have trusted in what is powerless to save them.
   
2. The appeal (16:1-5).
3. The reflection (16:6-11).
4. Summary and appendix (16:12-14).

In more detail, Isaiah 16 alone may be viewed as:

1. Moab's plea (1-4a).
   
2. Isaiah's answer (4b-5).
3. Moab's grief explained (6-8).
4. The Lord's grief over Moab (9-12).
   
5. Moab's imminent ruin (13-14).
   

In response to Moab's pleas (1-4a), Isaiah graciously responds (4b-5). Zion's strength is not in military resources, but in the Lord and in the Davidic monarchy to whom made divine promises. He replies that the present crises will pass (Isa 16:4b), but that the throne of David will endure (Isa 16:5). The clear implication is that if Moab wants a secure future, they must come in on a faith basis and depend on the Lord's promises to David. Isaiah's offer is an escape from the pressures and uncertainties into the calm certainties of faith and hope. What does Isaiah offer?

1. An Unchanging God
• "Love" is hesed (Isa 16:5a), the Lord's covenanted and therefore unchanging commitment to his people, his steadfastness, unmoved by changing times or experiences, undeviating even when they, his people, proved faithless.
2. A Perpetual Kingdom
• "...a throne will be established" (Isa 16:5b; 2 Sam 7:11, 13, 16) contrasts with what Moab was experiencing: the fickleness of human political maneuvers.
3. An Undoubted King
• "...the house of David" (Isa 16:5c). Unlike many kings, David was not an usurper. He belonged to a true lineage, as he is the inheritor of the promises made to him (2 Sam 7:15-16). "House" has the nuance of "home" rather than merely an address. The king is a genuine descendant of David, living by right in David's personal home.
  
4. The King's Rule in Faithfulness, Justice and Righteousness
• Faithfulness (Isa 16:1b) is the opposite of fickleness and unreliability. "Justice" and "righteousness" (Isa 16:5d) are the very attributes of this King, while the rules of the world incline toward favoritism, bias, prejudices and unrighteousness in order to achieve their own ends.
  

Based on these offers to Moab's appeal and request for help, Isaiah was offering them Zion's messianic best. All who appeal to Zion are welcome under the banner of the house of David.

References:

1. Outline of Isaiah 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 —Oracles to various kingdoms.
• Philistia (of the Philistines) along the coastal plains wishes to be an ally of Judah against Assyria, but these old foes of Judah are doomed and their messengers will be told "The Lord has founded Zion" (Isa 14:28-32).
• Moab is going to be destroyed by Assyria too. Moab's pride leads to its downfall. God is compassionate to Moab and Judah is to accept the refugees into the kingdom(Isaiah 15-16). Ruth, David's great grandmother, was a Moabite.
• Damascus and Ephraim (Syria and Israel) are going to fall to the Assyrians (Isa 17). Israel made an ally of Syria and together they attacked Judah. Ephraim was Israel's main tribe. It was descended from Joseph. Damascus is Syria's capital city.
• Ethiopia also known as Cush, is a distant and powerful nation, yet even it will feel the blade of Assyria. Ethiopia will see Mount Zion (Jerusalem) stand, and send a gift of homage to its God the Lord of hosts (Isa 18).
• Egypt is idolatrous and will not escape the Lord's hand (Isa 19:1).
2. God Establishes a Throne in Love (Isaiah 15,16). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
• In Isa 16:1-5, fugitive Moab begs Zion for asylum. God's reply to Moab's plea for safety from Assyrian oppression is the messianic throne of David, full of divine integrity, but also demanding submission (Isa 9:7; 11:4,5,10;55:3). Isa 16:5 says, "In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness." Ultimately, only in Jesus, the Son of David, the nations find shelter (Acts 15:16,17). But Moab's proud rejection of the Davidic throne (Jer 48:42) is their doom (Isa 16:6-12). God will break her pride in 3 years (Isa 16:13,14) through Sargon, who overran the country.
3. You Have Forgotten God (Isaiah 17,18) (Isa 17:10). My daily bread from Dec 2010.
• The 4th oracle concerns the Syria-Israel alliance of Isaiah's time (Isa 7:1-16; 8:1-4). The repeated point Isaiah makes is simple: How foolish man (Israel) trusts in visible tangible security (such as Syria), rather than trusting in God Almighty, whose purposes will always prevail and will never be thwarted (Isa 14:27).
4. God Strikes, God Heals (Isaiah 19); Trust God, Not Man (Isaiah 20). My daily bread from Dec 2010.

The Destiny of the Arrogant (Isaiah 14): What Happens to You After You Die

Isaiah 14:9-21; 12

"How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" (Isa 14:12, NIV)

What happens to you after you die? What happened to the king of Babylon after he died? By extrapolation and inference, could we not say that this is how Isaiah explains what happens to all people after they die? If anyone is proud or arrogant, oppressive, violent, cruel or unjust like the king of Babylon, will this not be what will happen? Let us draw this out from Isa 14:9-21:

1. You still exist, even though you have died.
2. You will be in Sheol (Isa 14:9, 11, 15). Sheol is the abode of the dead. It is a place where the soul continues to live on, but without your body which is decaying in the cemetery (Isa 14:18).
3. You are still "you" (Isa 14:9a). You do not cease to be who you are after you die. According to Scripture, after you die you will continue in the same trajectory during your lifetime. You will still be the person you are when you are alive. "Let the one who does wrong [unjust, unrighteous, evildoer, doing harm] continue to do wrong; let the vile [filthy] person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy" (Rev 22:11).
   
4. You will meet and be with others who are just like you (Isa 14:9b).
5. You will be different, even though you are still you. You will become "weak" (Isa 14:10)--a fraction of yourself--like everyone else in Sheol (Isa 14:9, 11, 15). Sheol is the abode of the dead. It is a place where the soul continues to live.
   
6. All your pomp and glory will be no more (Isa 14:11-12).
7. You will no longer be able to oppress others (Isa 14:12b, 16-17, 19-20).
   
8. You will be brought low, even though all of your life you were trying to:
• "ascend to heaven,"
• rise "above the stars" "on the utmost heights" (Isa 14:13),
• "ascend above the tops of the clouds" (Isa 14:14a),
• make yourself "like the Most High" (Isa 14:14b; Gen 3:5).
  
9. You will become like the way you treated people (Isa 14:19).
10. Your children and descendents will not be blessed or remembered (Isa 14:20b-21).

This is simply downright scary, because all of the elements of evil, cruelty, injustice and oppression are still in all of us. The accounts of how people who were once humble and kind change after they attain wealth, fame, success or power are simply astronomical. I can clearly see in myself how it is so easy to allow even my meager degree of success can get to me and to swell my Chinese head. Lord, have mercy! None of us can truly change ourselves. But thank God that by God's mercy and grace alone, God may transform us from the inside out to be new people (2 Cor 3:18; 5:17).

How You Have Fallen (Isaiah 13-14)

Isaiah 13-14 (Isa 13:1-19; 14:1-2, 9-17, 22, 24-27)

"I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty" (Isa 13:11, NLT). "How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" (Isa 14:12)

Theme: God, who is sovereign over all, will triumph over the self-sufficient, the proud and the arrogant; they will be humbled and brought low.

Babylon in the Bible typifies humankind's will to be its own savior. She represents humanity's bid to organize life and create security and stability by its own resources without reference to God. She is a fitting symbol of the arrogant pomp and power of the world that were/are characteristic of the nations as a whole in their rebellion against God. It is the embodiment of that worldly arrogance that defies God and tramples on others in its lust for power. It lies at the heart of all the horrendous acts of inhumanity which human beings and notions still commit against one another today.

Isaiah sees in Babylon the proud evil that influences and sets the whole world against God (Isa 13:11; 14:26; Dan 4:30; Rev 14:8; 17:5; 18:2-3). For Isaiah, the story of Babylon is the story of all nations that defy God. This began soon after the Flood with the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). It continues throughout history. God put an end to Babylon when Persia conquered her about 100 years after the time of Isaiah. God will put an end to Babylon forever when Christ comes again.

Revelation best expresses God's attitude toward Babylon:

• A second angel followed and said, "'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,' which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." (Rev 14:8, NIV). "...her passionate immorality" (Rev 14:8, NLT). "...her fornication" (Rev 14:8, NKJV).
  
• "The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth" (Rev 17:7, NIV). "...obscenities" (Rev 17:7, NLT). "...vile things" (Rev 17:7, HCSB).
• With a mighty voice he shouted: "'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!' She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. ³ For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries" (Rev 18:2-3, NIV).
  

Isaiah's warning, while here applied to Babylon, speaks to all who imagine that the prosperity and ease of their life will continue forever, even as injustices and sin accumulate. There is a coming judgment directed not just against a particular region or country but against the world that has rebelled against God and his good creation.

Isaiah 13-14 contain two prophesies concerning Babylon: an oracle (13:1-22) and a taunt (14:3-23). Wedged between them is a contrasting announcement of salvation for Jacob/Israel (14:1-2). These oracles are spoken to remind Israel that no matter what the nations do to her, her final destiny is secure, because it is the Lord, not they, who shapes the course of history. He is the Lord of the nations, and his judgment on them has as its ultimate goal the salvation of his people.

1. The oracle (13:1-22). Read 1-19.
   
• The day of the Lord (1-16).
• The end of Babylon's kingdom (17-22).
  
2. The promise (14:1-2). The heart of history is that of the Lord's people. This expresses the theology of election. These two short verses undergirds the comprehensive promise of salvation.
   
3. The taunt (14:3-23; 24-27). Read 9-17, 22, 24-27. This taunt has the form of a funeral lament. But instead of expressing sorrow it communicates profound satisfaction, even delight. In this ironic fashion, it celebrates the downfall of arrogance and oppression.
   
• The end of Babylon's king (3-23).
• Assyria: An interim assurance (24-27).

Sheol, the abode of the dead is where Isaiah goes on an imaginative trip to in Isa 14:9-15. Sheol reacts with surprise to the arrival of the arrogant king of Babylon (Isa 14:9-10), which is a sharp contrast to his ambitions and self-estimation (Isa 14:11-15). Here we learn several OT truths:

1. The grave or "Sheol" (Isa 14:9, 11, 15) is the place of the abode of the dead. It is not the cemetery where the body lies but the "place" where the soul continues in life. The grave exposes the fragility of our humanity. The soul is the person as much as the body is; both are referred to as "you." The dissolution of the body in the grave matches the weakness of the soul in Sheol.
   
2. The dead are alive. In the Bible "death" is never "termination," but always
• change of place (from earth to Sheol),
• change of state (from body-soul/spirit unity to the separate life of the soul) and
• continuity of person.
3. In Sheol there is personal recognition. The king is recognized as he arrives (Isa 14:10). People in Sheol are the same people as once they were on earth. Thus, Revelations says, "Let the one who does wrong [unjust, unrighteous, evildoer, doing harm] continue to do wrong; let the vile [filthy] person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy" (Rev 22:11, NIV).
4. In Sheol, the soul without the body is but a half-life. The OT awaits the Lord Jesus to meet its implied need of the resurrection of the body.

People, driven by their own ego and pride, cannot but use and abuse people in order to achieve and accomplish their own ends. The king of Babylon may be the representative of all who think of themselves as the king who rules their own lives. But anyone who attempts to "go up," will be "brought down." Whoever wants to ascend to the heights will descend to the very depths. Like it or not, anyone who wants to save their own lives will eventually lose it (Mt 16:25a; Mk 8:35a; Lk 9:24a).

God, who is almighty, is the very opposite of Babylon. God, who dwells in the highest, descended to the lowest regions. Jesus, in his condescension (Phil 2:5-8), lived out the truth that the "way down" is the "way up." The way of humility and condescension is the way of triumph and exaltation (Phil 2:9-11).

References:

1. The Whole World in His Hands (Isaiah 13-27).
2. Divine Judgment on the Evil Kingdom (Isa 14:3-23).
   

The Whole World in His Hands (Isaiah 13-27)

Isaiah 13-27; 13:11; 26:3

"I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty" (Isa 13:11, NLT). "You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You" (Isa 26:3, HCSB).

2 part outline of Isaiah (4+3=7 parts):

1. Judgment (1-39): Assyrian period. God is the Holy One of Israel.
1. The Lord is King (1-12). Prophesies concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2. Lord of the nations (13-27). The whole world in his hand. Prophesies concerning the nations.
3. Human schemes and God's plans (28-35). The source of true deliverance. God pronounces woe on human alliances. The Lord of history.
   
4. In whom shall we trust? (36-39) Good and bad Hezekiah. Historical interlude.
   
2. Salvation (40-66): Babylonian period. God is the Suffering Servant.
1. Comfort, my people (40-51).
2. Grace triumphant (51-55). Salvation through the suffering servant. The work of the servant.
   
3. A new heaven and a new earth (56-66). The future glory of God's people. Waiting for a new world. The book of the conqueror.
   

3 part outline of Isaiah:

1. The King (1-39). Hope amid judgment.
   
2. The Servant (40-55). Salvation through suffering.
   
3. The Conqueror (56-66). A glorious hope.
   

Outline of Isaiah 13-27:

1. The first series of (five) oracles: sure promises (13-20). Isaiah helps Judah to see the nations of the day as entirely subject to the sovereign rule of God. Five oracles display the basic biblical conviction that as universal Creator, the God of Israel is not limited to Israel but holds all nations accountable for their deeds (Isa 13:11; Rom 3:29-30). The OT prophets have numerous oracles about other nations (see chart). The five oracles reveal God ruling over:
• Babylon and Assyria (13:1–14:27): a look behind the scenes.
  
• Philistia (14:28–32): the Lord's sure promises to David.
  
• Moab (15:1–16:14): salvation refused by pride.
  
• Damascus/Israel [Ephraim] (17:1–18:7): the way of death and the promise of life.
  
• Egypt (19:1–20:6): one world, one people, one God.
  
2. The second series of (five) oracles: the long night and the dawn (21-23). Isaiah again shows God ruling over the nations of the day, but now he reveals the inner character of these cultures. Five oracles reveal God's ruling over and holding accountable:
• The wilderness/desert by the sea (21:1–10): the Babylonian principle.
  
• Silence: days of darkness. Dumah (21:11–12) [Edom],
  
• Desert evening: Gentile needs unsolved. Arabia (21:13–17).
  
• The valley of vision (22:1–25): the unforgivable sin.
  
• Tyre (23:1–18): holiness to the Lord..
3. The third series of oracles: the world city and the city of God (24-27). This section is the third and climactic vision of God ruling the nations in judgment and salvation. While chs 13-20 and 21-23 address particular nations, chs 24-27 foresee the whole world in crisis at the end of history, but with the people of God wonderfully secured in their own city (Isa 24:4; 25:8; 26:19; 27:6). These chapters are often called "apocalyptic," since they depict the final conflict and God's victory in vivid images. Often referred to as "the Little Apocalypse," chapters 24–27 turn our attention from divine judgment on individual nations to a global apocalyptic vision of the end of the whole earth.
• The city of meaninglessness (24:1-20).
• Ultimately ... the King (24:21-23).
• Salvation and provision: the world on Mount Zion (25:1-12).
• The strong city (26:1-21).
• The universal Israel (27:1-13).
  

As a small nation surrounded by great powers, Judah was constantly tempted to look to political and military alliances to save herself. Isaiah 1-12 focuses on Judah and ends with proclamation to the nations, while Isaiah 13-27, the second major section of Isaiah, begins by focusing on the nations and ends with Judah (Isa 13:1; 26:1; 27:13). But the overall message is the same. Salvation is found in the Lord alone (Isa 12:2). Isaiah 13-27 also reveals the sovereign ways of God with the nations, for God is no local, tribal deity but the Judge and Savior ruling over all the world. His purpose is moving human history forward for the benefit of his people. The nations in Isaiah 13-23 were all threatened by Assyria at one time or other, and were all actual or potential partners with Judah in anti-Assyrian alliances.

Isaiah 13-27 contain judgments against the nations before the reign of the Messiah is established. These judgments would be in the immediate future of the prophetic vision, perhaps with the Assyrian invasion. But at times they will include eschatological judgments (last days) as found in Revelation 4-19.

References:

1. The Burdens Upon The Nations (Isaiah 13:1—23:18) (Isa 14:3-23).
2. The Defeat of the Forces of Evil and the Deliverance of the People of God (Isaiah 27:1-13).
   
3. Isaiah Outline 2015.
4. Preaching from Isaiah (11 page pdf). Chapters:
• 13-23 contain oracles of judgment and salvation concerning several nations whose fortunes affect Judah. He makes it clear that it is useless for them to resist the Assyrian empire or the will of God. God used the Assyrians and later the Babylonians and Persians to bring judgment and to accomplish his will.
• 24-27 are closely related to 13-23. It is a prediction of world judgment resulting in the redemption of Israel. These chapters teach the necessity of divine discipline and redemption that awaits the faithful. Isaiah looks forward to redemption and speaks of it in present tense.
• 28-35 contain a cycle of prophetic warnings against alliance with Egypt closing with a prophecy against the land of Edom. The warnings are pronounced as six woes.
• 36-39 contain history, prophecy and song intermingled. These chapters are almost identical to 2 Kgs 18:13-20:19. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon and not Assyria would be God's instrument of judgment on Judah.

A Glimpse of Heaven (Isaiah 11-12)

Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 12:2; 11:9

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation" (Isa 12:2, NIV). "Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord" (Isa 11:9, NLT).

Isaiah 11 shows that God never abandoned Israel, promising that amid the apparently destitute land there remained "the holy seed" found in a stump (Isa 6:13). Coming forth from the line of David (Isa 11:1), this "root of Jesse" would signal to the nations a new reality (Isa 11:10). When the Messiah rules, we will catch a glimpse of heaven that will be expressed as:

1. Peace (11:1-9). The King in Eden. [Isaiah 11: The righteous reign of the branch.]
   
• The ancestry and endowment of the king (1-2). His fitness to rule.
  
• The king's rule (3-5). The nature of Christ's reign. The character of his rule.
  
• The king's world (6-9). The peace of Christ instead of wars, oppression and destruction. The ideal state of affairs that will arise as a result of his rule: universal peace. It is denied of danger and harm.
  
2. Unity (11:10-16). The world's king. The Gentiles and the lost and scattered tribes all gathered by Christ into the kingdom of God. All that was envisaged in Isa 2:2-4 and Isa 4:2-5 will be realized when the Messiah reigns at last. Thus, this section describes the gathering of the Messiah's people. It is marked by "his hand" (Isa 11:11, 15) and "the remnant of his people (Isa 11:11, 16). God's power gathers in all his people, and no earthly power can prevent their final homecoming.
3. Joy (12:1-6). [The Lord praised in Zion; A song/hymn of thanksgiving and praise; The individual in the community -- salvation, singing and proclamation.] This paean (song, lyric, poem of triumph/thanksgiving) of praise is the conclusion of the account of the Messiah's reign which began in Isa 11:1. Note the repeated phrase in Isa 11:10-11; 12:1, 4.

A Glimpse of Heaven (Isaiah 11-12)

1. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the nature of the Messiah (11:1-5). The shoot or branch springs from old roots, just as God promised long ago.
2. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the transformation of the world (11:6-9). The new world will be denied of danger and harm.
3. A glimpse of heaven is seen as people gain knowledge of the Lord (11:10-16). As knowledge of God grows, people will rally to be with Him.
4. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the praises offered to God for His wonderful salvation (12:1-6). God's anger becomes a thing of the past and His people sing praises to Him.

The oracle against Babylon in Isaiah 13 introduces a block of material which is so distinct from Isaiah 1-12 as to indicate that a major new departure of the book begins at that point. Isaiah 12 then stands at the end of the first major part of the book, and its content indicates that it is not merely the end but the climax (Isa 12:6).

Isaiah 1-12 have stressed again and again the holiness of God and the fact that the culmination of his saving work would be reached in Zion (Isa 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7). Here the culmination is described in terms of the final realization of the ancient covenant ideal: the Holy One dwelling in the midst of his people (Ex 25:8; Rev 21:1-5). That is climax indeed and therefore a just cause for celebration.

References:

1. The Root Reigns & Reunites Israel (Isaiah 11-12).
   

• Isaiah chapter 12 is the summary of the coming kingdom of "Immanuel" mentioned in previous chapters.

• Chapter 8 tells us that the Immanuel would provide protection to Judah, and the remnant should return.

• Chapter 9 tells us that the Great Light is coming. The Child would be born (Isa 9:6).

• Chapter 10 tells us about the prophecy of judgment of Israel and Assyria. The first giant tree, meaning to Israel, would be axed first, and He would also cut down the greater tree, Assyria (Isa 10:33). Assyria would cause much damage to Israel and Judah, but the remnant should be remained from the attack (Isa 10:20-21).

• Isaiah 11-12, is the story of the stump and what would come forth from it. The stump seemed to be dead or totally destroyed, but it was not. There would be a branch shooting from it. The stump coming up here is the stump of Jesse, which is the imagery of small beginning, and there would come the Branch - Jesus Christ. This is tough love of God toward Israel. He had to cut it down and remain only a stump.
2. Preaching from Isaiah (11 page pdf). Chapters:
   
1. 1-12. Prophecies concerning Judah and Jerusalem closing with a psalm and promises of restoration.
   
• Chapter 1 is an introduction in which Isaiah mentions thoughtfulness, formalism in worship, pardon and judgment.
• Chapters 2-4 contain three pictures of Judah--exaltation, idolatry and eventual purification. 
• Chapter 5 uses a beautiful analogy to confront Israel.
  
• Chapter 6 is an apologetic for the harshness of 1-5.
  
• Chapters 7-12 are warnings against political entanglement with Assyria and recommends trust in the Lord.
2. 13-23 contain oracles of judgment and salvation concerning several nations whose fortunes affect Judah. He makes it clear that it is useless for them to resist the Assyrian empire or the will of God. God used the Assyrians and later the Babylonians and Persians to bring judgment and to accomplish his will.
3. 24-27 are closely related to 13-23. It is a prediction of world judgment resulting in the redemption of Israel. These chapters teach the necessity of divine discipline and redemption that awaits the faithful. Isaiah looks forward to redemption and speaks of it in present tense.
4. 28-35 contain a cycle of prophetic warnings against alliance with Egypt closing with a prophecy against the land of Edom. The warnings are pronounced as six woes.
5. 36-39 contain history, prophecy and song intermingled. These chapters are almost identical to 2 Kgs 18:13-20:19. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon and not Assyria would be God's instrument of judgment on Judah.
6. 40-66 are prophecies of comfort, salvation, and of the future glory awaiting Israel. 
• Chapters 40-48 announce delivery from captivity through a Persian King;
  
• chapters 49-57 describe the sufferings of the Servant;
  
• chapters 58-66 are yet to be fulfilled. They announce the eradication of all national distinctions and the future glory of the people of God.