The contrast between Isaiah 34 and 35

Isaiah 34 (Judgment) [Hell]	Isaiah 35 (Salvation) [Heaven]
Trusting the world/self	Trusting God
Becomes a desert	Becomes a garden
No way (34:10)	A highway (35:8)
Destruction and desolation	Restoration and renewal
The power of the Gentiles will be broken	The redeemed will see the kingdom of God
God's wrath against the nations	God's glory transforming Zion
God, not the world, is the one to fear	God, not the world, is the one to hope in

God, Not the World, is the One to Fear (Isaiah 34)

Titles for Isaiah 34: Judgment -- Listen, Look into the Scroll. When You Don't Trust God. Judgment, an Unpalatable Topic: Painful passages about divine wrath and judgment, such as Isaiah 34, are hard to read and take in, but Isaiah does not spare our feelings.

Listen, Pay Attention, Hear, Look, Read and Learn that (34:1, 16):

1. God will Judge the World (1-15).
2. God's Plan will Happen (16-17).

According to Isaiah 34, God-neglect will turn us into an eternally barren desert. But if we trust God, our desert will be transformed into a garden. That is what the grace of God can do (Isaiah 35). Each of us is moving in one of these two directions, either into judgment or into salvation. What God wants is to save you.

Hell or Heaven. Isaiah 34 shows us what will become of anyone who buys into this world, and Isaiah 35 shows us what will become of one who banks everything on the promised salvation of God. In these two chapters Isaiah shows us the seamless connection between what we embrace now and what we will have in the future. His point is that the salvation you prefer now, whether earthly or heavenly, is shaping who you are and which direction you will go forever (Rev 22:11). So in a sense, Hell or Heaven will be the eternal extension of the deepest, truest you that you become in this life. So the most important question of our existence is: What are you becoming? Whatever you are becoming reveals where you are going. C.S. Lewis says that hell is when you become the photographic negative of what you were meant to be when God made you. If you savor by faith a salvation and fullness from God, you're already on your way to Zion in Isaiah 35. But if you choose to live by faith in this world, Isaiah 34 is showing you your future.

Salvation by God must go through Edom. Though Isaiah mentions the whole world (Isa 34:1), the one nation he mentions is Edom (Isa 34:5, 6, 9). Why? It is because Edom typifies the whole world. The forefathers of Israel and Edom were the brothers Jacob and Esau (Gen 25:21-26). But Esau held a grudge against Jacob (Genesis 27). When the infant nation Israel was journeying toward the Promised Land, they requested passage through Edom (Num 20:14-21) but they refused. Edom tried to block the salvation that God was bringing into the world. Edom, then, is the antithesis to God's pilgrim people. The ethos of the Edomite culture is the spirit of the worle world, a spirit that finds its salvation in the resources of this temporal, physical order. We have to get past Edom to be saved by God.

How do we relate to such a savage text?

In Isaiah's day, blood and gore were a part of everyday life. Today most of us are far removed from the world of bloodshed. At most we see or hear about it from a distance. We are appalled just to hear about ISIS beheadings. We eat meat, but we never give a thought to the butchering process. The last horrifying slaughter that Americans experienced was during the Civil War. But for Isaiah's hearers, it was part of daily life. They knew firsthand the realities of brutal warfare where whole families were butchered.

The strange hope and comfort of the slaughterers getting "a taste of their own medicine." The language of Isaiah 34 is horrifying and offensive to our ears (Isa 34:2-3). But it was probably actually comforting to many of Isaiah's hearers. There is going to be justice in the world after all. The terrible words of judgment against Judah's enemies was a promise that God would balance the scales of justice, and that the Edoms of the world would pay for what they had done.

Why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. Almost certainly Jonah wanted the Assyrians to suffer for all the suffering they had brought to Israel. But he knew how compassionate God really is (Jon 4:2). He knew that if even an Assyrian would repent, God would not impose judgment on them. Jonah wanted the Assyrians to pay for what they did.

The bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It was interesting to hear persons who lost family members in the bombing speak of the impending execution of the convicted bomber. There was a sense that they could not feel "closure" in their own experience until the one who made the bomb had paid the full price for his crime. They wanted the scales of justice balanced. And if we will not let God place his Son in the balance for us, then justice says that we ourselves must take that place and go to destruction with Edom.

Is my ultimate trust in creatures (Edom) or the Creator? If so, I am headed into the desert with those Edoms. To put my ultimate trust in creatures instead of the Creator is truly stupid. It is to ultimately crash into that reality with devastating effect.

How do I know if I'm trusting the creature or not? It is too easy to trust the creature. It's too easy for me to trust my youth (which incidentally is evaporating away rapidly!) and my health (which is also gradually ebbing away, beginning with my knees). It's too easy for me to trust my own experience, intuition, perceptiveness, assessment and plan my own course of action with the church, with people, with my medical practice, etc. After doing all that I can, do I truly trust God, or am I still trusting my own efforts? Do I truly pray and surrender the outcome to God, or am I still trying to manipulate the situation to fit my own preference and liking?

What does it mean to trust God radically? Sometimes it means deliberately not doing what I could for myself and letting God do it instead. Sometimes it is to take a radical step of faith without the absolute assurance that the ground is there to step on. When Harrison Ford faced a chasm he cannot cross in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he remembered words he had been told previously. Then he steps off into the chasm, and suddenly a walkway appears under his feet. Did I somewhat do this when I attempted to start WL church in 2008 despite the disapproval of many older leaders who interpreted my attempts as being insubordinate and disrespectful?

Do Jesus' words about turning the other cheek and loving our enemies radically contradict these words of Isaiah? Does the NT message of forgiveness contradict the OT message of vengeance? They key response is that of Paul: "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back,' says the Lord" (Rom 12:19, NLT; Dt 32:35). How can we find the grace to not seek and take revenge? It is precisely in the knowledge that there is a just Judge of all the universe who will see that justice is done in the end. We do not need to destroy the Edom that may have crushed us because we can trust God to do the right thing in the end, both for Edom and us.

How freeing and liberating this is. It takes the justice of the world off our shoulders and frees us from carrying around a heavy load of anger and resentment. One of the things that brought down President Nixon was his "list of enemies." If he was not concerned about his enemies and more concerned to do what is right in the confidence that God would redress the balances, the Watergate scandal might never have happened.

How Satan Makes You Give Up (Isaiah 36)

Titles for Isaiah 36: The Ultimatum. How Satan Makes You Give Up. How Satan Attacks: Give Up and Surrender.

Isaiah 36-39 appears to have been designed to act as a bridge between its two halves (1-35 and 40-66). The issue in these chapters is absolutely central to the book's total message--the issue of trust and where that trust is placed. The Assyrian invader puts the issue most succinctly: "On whom are you depending?" (Isa 36:5, NIV) This is the question which the book of Isaiah forces us to ponder again and again, and with good reason, for our response to it will determine the whole shape of our lives.

The Rock of History (Isaiah 36-37; 2 Kings 18-19) [Alec Motyer]

1. The first Assyrian embassy to Jerusalem: The helpless king (36:1-37:7)
1. No salvation in faith (36:1-10). The first Assyrian speech.
   
2. A popular appeal for surrender (36:11-21)
3. The king's reaction: faith at last! (36:22-37:7)
   
2. The second Assyrian embassy: The godly king (37:8-38)
1. Hezekiah, man of faith (10-13)
2. Hezekiah, man of prayer (14-20)
3. Isaiah's message: Hezekiah, the man of the word of God (21-35)
4. The finale: Assyrian overthrow (36-38)
   

The Supreme Tests for Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-39) [Derek Kidner]

1. The Assyrian onslaught (36-37).
2. Hezekiah's illness (38).
3. The envoys from Babylon (39).
   

In Whom Shall We Trust? (Isaiah 36-39) [Barry Webb]

1. The enemy at the gates (36:1-22)
2. The tables turned (37:1-38)
1. The power of God's word (1-13)
2. Hezekiah looks up (14-20)
3. Sennacherib's fall (21-38)
3. Hezekiah's illness (38:1-22)
4. Envoys from Babylon (39:1-8)
   

Hezekiah's Challenge To Trust God (Isaiah 36-39) [Gary Smith]

I. Challenging Hezekiah's Trust for Deliverance (36:1-22)

1. The First Challenge: On Whom Can You Depend (36:1-10)
1. The setting of the conflict (1-3)
2. Rabshakeh's speech (4-10)
1. You have no one to trust (4-7)
2. Make a bargain with me (8-9)
3. God sent me (10)
2. The Second Challenge: Who Can Deliver You? (36:11-21)
1. Request to speak Aramaic (11-12)
2. Rabshakeh's speech (13-20)
1. Hezekiah and God cannot deliver you (13-16a)
2. Surrender and live well (16b-17)
3. No god can deliver anyone from Assyria (18-20)
3. No response from Hezekiah's representatives (21)

II. Cutting Off the Blaspheming Assyrian King (36:22-37:7)

1. The Hebrews respond with mourning (36:22-37:1)
2. Hezekiah's message to Isaiah (37:2-4)
3. Isaiah's oracle about God's salvation (37:5-7)

III. Sennacherib's Final Warning to Hezekiah (37:8-13)

1. Assyrian military action (8-9a)
2. Sennacherib's threatening letter to Hezekiah (9b-13)
1. Do not trust God for deliverance (9b-10)
2. Rationale: No other gods brought deliverance (11-13)

IV. God's Promise to Rescue Hezekiah (37:14-35)

1. Requesting God's deliverance (37:14-20)
1. Hezekiah goes to the temple (14-15)
2. Hezekiah's prayer (16-20)
1. Invocation (16)
2. First petition and rationale (17-19)
3. Second petition and rationale (20)
2. Promise to defeat proud Sennacherib (37:21-29)
1. God answers Hezekiah's prayer (21)
2. Jerusalem will mock Sennacherib (22)
3. Reason: Sennacherib has reviled God (23-27)
1. Question about reviling God (23a)
2. Quotation proving the king's pride (23b-25)
3. Rebuttal: God is in control (26-27)
   
4. Verdict: God's plan for Sennacherib's rage (28-29)
3. God's sign of survival and promise of protection (30-35)
1. God's sign concerning a remnant (30-32)
1. Instruction on food supply (30)
2. A remnant will survive (31-32a)
3. God will do this (32b)
   
2. God's judgment of Sennacherib (33-35)
1. Sennacherib will not lay siege (33)
2. Sennacherib will go home (34)
3. Divine defense because of David (35)
   

V. Assyrians Defeated (37:36-38)

Wrath and Judgment (Isaiah 34)

Serious passages about divine wrath and judgment, such as Isaiah 34, are hard to read and take in. Isaiah does not try to spare our feelings. If anything, for the most part, we do not feel as he did (Isa 21:4), with a heart broken for the lost when they feel the blow of the divine hand after a lifetime of hostility toward God. Like it or not, Scripture--from Genesis to Revelation--declare that there will be such a day coming.

The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23a), and death it will be. It will be the outpouring of divine exasperation when once divine patience had prevailed throughout one's life.

Isaiah's picture of mountains soaked with the blood of the slain (Isa 34:3) is gory and gruesome, just to read. What would the eventual reality be like? Alec Motyer's translation reads:

"For Yahweh has lost patience with all the nations;

his rage is hot against all their host.

He has appointed them to utter destruction,

consigned them to slaughter,

and, as for their slain, they will be thrown out,

and as for their corpses, their stench will rise up,

and mountains will be dissolved by their blood,

and all the host of heaven will rot..." (Isa 34:2-4).

Yes, and praise God that the company of the saved will be innumerable. But what about the multitudes who will stand unready, unfit, hopeless, in the valley of that eternal decision?

Jesus did not hide his face, or ours, from it (Mt 25:46), nor did John make any attempt to camouflage the grim procession to the lake of fire (Rev 20:12-15). Will these be people we know, people we love? Are they people for whom we have a responsibility in the gospel?

Today is the day to ponder these things. In light of God's word, it is also the day to look to ourselves and to determine to flee from sin. Even though our eternity is as secure as if we were already before the Throne, which, in reality, we are (Eph 2:4-6), yet, as long as God leaves us tarrying on earth, sin still brings death.

Like our ancestors we face daily the choice of life or death (Dt 30:15-16) -- to choose the good and not the evil, to refuse disobedience and cultivate obedience. For it is the Lord's Word, his commands, which bring life (that you may live) and progress (and multiply), blessings and inheritance (possess). Peter taught that God gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him (Ac 5:32).

Judgment (Isaiah 34) and Salvation (Isaiah 35)

The theme of Isaiah 34 is the final overthrow of the world in all its hostility to God's rule. [Judgment: Listen, Look into the Scroll (34:1-17).] Isaiah 35 paints a glorious picture of the final pilgrimage of the Lord's people to their eternal and blissful destination in Zion. [Salvation: A Highway Will Be There for the Redeemed (35:1-10).]

1. Judgment: Listen, Look into the Scroll (Isaiah 34).
2. Salvation: A Highway for the Redeemed (Isaiah 35).
   

Trusting God to Ruin the Nations and Transform Zion (Isaiah 34-35) [Gary Smith]

1. God's Wrath against the Nations (34:1-17)
1. Learn that God will judge the nations (1-15).
1. Judgment on heaven and earth (1-4).
2. The sword against "Edom" (5-7).
3. The devastated land (8-15).
   
2. Learn that God's plan will happen (16-17).
   
2. God's Glory Transforming Zion (35:1-10). Ultimate realities: pilgrims to Zion.
   
1. God's transformation of nature (1-2): New world, a promise to the pilgrims.
2. God's transformation of the weak and blind (3-6a): New life, salvation for the pilgrims.
3. God's transformed people will return (6b-10): New highway, homecoming for pilgrims.
   

The Final Overthrow (Isaiah 34-35) [Alec Motyer]

1. Final divine judgment (34:1-15).
2. The Lord's sure plan: a final summons (34:16-17).
3. A transformed world (35:1-2).
4. Fortitude: the Lord is coming (35:3-4).
5. Salvation and renewal (35:5-7).
6. The highway and the homecoming (35:8-10).
   

[Barry Webb, Isaiah]

1. Final Judgment (Isaiah 34).
2. Final Salvation: The Joy of the Redeemed (Isaiah 35)
   

[Derek Kidner, New Bible Commentary]

1. The Universal Judgment (Isaiah 34).
2. The Flowering Wilderness (Isaiah 35).
   

The Summary of Judgment and Blessing [The Moody Bible Commentary]

1. The power of the Gentiles will be broken (Isaiah 34).
2. The redeemed will see the kingdom of God (Isaiah 35).
   

See The King in His Beauty (Isaiah 33): Questions

Isaiah 32-33 is about a king (32:1; 33:17), who is the Lord (33:22). Isaiah 32-33 tells us about:

1. A king and his kingdom (32:1-20).
2. A king who is exalted (33:1-16). Be Our Strength Every Morning (33:1-16). Dwell with Fire on the Heights.
   
3. A king in his beauty (33:17-24). See The King In His Beauty (33:17-24).

[Skim Isaiah 33. What is its tone? Compare to Isaiah 28 and notice the changing proportions.]

1. [33:1–6] What was the focus of the first five "woes" in Isaiah 28-33? How is this one different? What will happen to those who plunder others (1)? Who might the betrayer be (33:8; 2 Ki 18:13-16)?
2. In times of distress what does God desire of his people (33:2; 30:18)? Whose help has proven useless (30:7; 31:1)? How is the plundering described (3-4)? Who is always able to deliver from distress (5-6)? What seven gifts does the exalted reigning king bestow on his people (5-6)? What are some ways that you can practice this in your life?
3. [33:7–9] What suffering is described (7-9)? To whom is this referring? What is Isaiah doing here that is typical of him? What is the only hope in times of hopelessness (10-12)? Whose power will prevail, Assyria or God's (13)?
4. [33:10–16] What happens when God is exalted and decides to act (5, 10-12)? Who will be afraid (33:13-14; 2:6-22)? Who will be secure (15-16)? Who can dwell with "consuming fire" and "on the heights" (14-16)? What blessings will he receive (15-16)? There is no mention of grace (14-16). Are we talking about salvation by works? Why or why not (33:24)?
5. [33:17–22] How does the promise of 33:17 relate to the last statement of 6:5? What will righteous people see (17)? What does this king offer us (17, 20, 22, 24)?
6. What does 33:18-20 say about God's purpose in judgment (28:11; 29:14)? What would God's people no longer see (18-19)? Instead, where would they look and what would they see (20)? What would Zion become (20-21)? What is the river a symbol of (48:18; 66:12; Ps 46:64)?
7. How is God described (22)? What will He do for the people? What do the three roles (33:22) tell us about God and our relationship to him? How does 33:21 fit this description?
8. [33:23–24] What will happen to the prey of the plunderer? To those in the city (23-24)? What is promised to us (23b-24)? What will God do for the inhabitants (24)?

Psalm 64

Measure For Measure (Derek Kidner)

1. Insidious attack (1-6).
2. Exemplary punishment (7-10).
   

The Retributive God (J.A. Motyer, New Bible Commentary)

1. Praying for protection (1-2).
2. The attack (3-4).
3. Denial of retribution (5-6).
4. The counterattack (7-8).
5. Affirmation of retribution (9).
6. Rejoicing in protection (10).

Finding Solace from Tormentors (Moody Bible Commentary)

1. Unburdening the torment of heart to God (1-6).
2. Affirming the judgment of tormentors (7-8).
3. Anticipating the glory of the future with God (9-10).

The Psalms: Songs of Jesus (Tim Keller)

1. Voicing Complaint (1-6).
2. The Comfort of Judgment (7-10).
   

Righteous King, New Society (Isaiah 32)

In a day of national emergency, Judah looked to Egypt (31:1-3).

But what about us? What do we look at? Whom do we look to? These are vital questions. What direction are we moving in? Where are our eyes fixed? Are we ever and always getting closer to Jesus, ever and always "seeing him more clearly, loving him more dearly," turning our eyes on Jesus, looking full in his wonderful face?

In Isaiah's day, Judah was in a serious, life and death, national crisis. The Assyrian invasion spelled the end of all they had and hoped. They were in a "big" crisis that could destroy them. But it may not be the "big" occasions that defeat us. Often, out of sheer desperation, it sends us fleeing to Jesus in a more determined way. But what more often leads to our downfall are the "small" daily decisions.

Should I get up early to pray? Or take my time to make my coffee and check my emails? Do I read and reflect at night or watch late night TV and binge watch something on Netflix? These questions might be seemingly innocuous or silly sounding, but it could potentially be deadly serious. Does my heart long for Christ or for the world's attention? Do I enjoy dwelling in the presence of God? Is my inclination toward the kingdom that is not of this world?

Outline of Alec Motyer:

1. The king (1-2). The messianic king of Isaiah 9 and 11.
   
2. New people, new society (3-8). The light of the Lord's coming shines behind every darkness in our experience.
   
3. Call to listen in light of the future (9-14). This matches the call in 31:6-9.
   
4. Outpoured Spirit, new society (15-18).
5. Epilogue: humiliation and blessedness (19-20).

Gary Smith:

1. God's Exaltation of a Righteous King (1-8).
1. The rule of a righteous king (1-2).
2. Opening the eyes of the blind (3-4).
3. The folly of fools will be exposed (5-8).
   
2. Mourning from Complacency, Life from the Spirit (9-20).
1. Complacent women of Jerusalem must lament (9-14).
1. Call for women to listen (9-10).
2. Call for women to mourn (11-14).
   
2. God's Spirit will transform the world (15-20).
1. The Spirit's work of restoration (15-16).
2. The fruit of righteousness (17-20).
   

John Oswalt

1. Good Leaders Rule with Justice (32:1-8).
2. Quietness and Confidence Forever (32:9-20).
   

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Isaiah 31 and 32 questions

Trusting Egypt Doesn't Work (Isaiah 31:1-9)

1. Why does God pronounce a woe (1)? Why was it foolish for the people to trust in Egypt and her chariots (1-2)? Why could Egypt not be trusted (3)?
2. Who would fight for Zion and defend her? How is He described (4)? To what is God's defense compared (5)?
3. What should the people do (6)?
4. What would happen to Assyria, and what would the people learn (7-9)? How would Assyria fall (8; 37:36-38)?
5. What lessons should we learn from the mistake the people made in trusting Egypt without consulting God?

Peace is the Fruit of Righteousness (Isaiah 32:1-20)

1. What is foretold that gives hope (1)? What kinds of rulers are described (1)? Who is this king (33:17, 22)? What blessings are described (2)?
2. What will various parts of the body be able to do (3,4)? How do these promises work out in the lives of believers?
3. How is the foolish person described (5-6)? What is the difference between a scoundrel and a noble man (7-8)?
4. How are the women described (9-11)? What is the condition that concerns Isaiah (and God)? How does this manifest itself in our attitudes and behavior? What will happen to them?
5. What will happen to the land (12-14)? What is the literary relationship between 32:1–8 and 32:9–14? Why does Isaiah do this? (Remember what is characteristic of him after a promise.)
6. What will make the difference from barrenness to abundance? What will happen when the Spirit is poured out (15-17)? Notice four results of the Spirit's coming (16–17). What brings forth justice and righteousness (15-16)? What are its result (17-18)? How does this relate to our lives? When might this be fulfilled?
7. Describe the dwellings of God's people (18-20)? What circumstances will surround them? What will the Messiah make available to the world (11:1; 62:1)?

Sketch and Overview of Isaiah 28-33, 2016

The Foolishness of Trusting the Nations (Isaiah 28-35). John Oswalt's overview.

• Isaiah 28-29: Bad leadership. Human rulers implementing human rules. Leaders are drunken, blind and deaf to God's word.
• Isaiah 30-31: Bad solution/advice/decision. Trusting in Egypt, instead of God.
• Isaiah 32-33: Good leadership/government. When the Messiah reigns and rules.
• Isaiah 34-35: Conclusion of Isaiah 28-33 (13-33): A desert (Isaiah 34) or a garden (Isaiah 35).
  

28:1-19: Mocking Isaiah's Words (Isa 28:10, 12-13). Consider:

1. Two crowns (1-6).
2. Two words (7-13).
3. Two covenants (14-22).
4. Two parables (23-29)

Schedule:

Jan 17, 2016 David Weed. 29:1-14: Lips and Life Disconnect (Teaching Human Rules from the Bible). (Isa 29:13).

Jan 24, 2016. David Weed. 29:15-24: Creature and Creator Disconnect (Acknowledge the Holiness of the Holy One). (Isa 29:16, 23).

Jan 31, 2016. Tim Fitch. 30:1-17: Easy Shade, Easy Bible Study and Easy Salvation (Find Rest in Repentance). Isa 30:15 is the distinctive challenge of Isaiah (Isa 7:4, 9; 28:12).

Feb 7, 2016. Tim Fitch. 30:18-33: God Longs To Be Gracious To You. Isa 30:18 is one of the greatest statements in all of Scripture.

Feb 14, 2016. David Weed. 31:1-9: Trusting Egypt Doesn't Work (Return to God). (Isa 31:6).

Feb 21, 2016. David Weed. 32:1-20: Peace is the Fruit of Righteousness (True Productivity and Peace, Safety and Security). (Isa 32:17).

Feb 28, 2016. Rhoel. 33:1-16: Dwell with Fire on the Heights. (Isa 33:14, 16).

Mar 6, 2016. Rhoel. 33:17-24: See the King in His Beauty. (Isa 33:17).