ISAIAH LESSON 34
We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 30:1 "Woe to the rebellious
children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that
cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to
sin:"
The children, in verse 1, are those belonging to God. In the
physical sense, this is speaking of the descendents of Jacob {Israel}.
We can see from this, God does not want them seeking counsel from
other people. God wants them to seek His counsel. They are looking for
another country {Egypt} to protect them, or be their covering. This is
a sin, and is just adding this sin to those they have already
committed. They should seek forgiveness from God and take counsel of
Him. In their behalf, we must remember the way to the Father was
closed to them at this time. The way for the Christians to the Father
was opened, when the temple veil was torn from the top to the bottom,
when Jesus was crucified. In the spiritual sense, here, we can see
that God does not want His sons {Christians} to take counsel of the
world {Egypt} either. The Holy Spirit of God is the teacher and guide
for the Christian. We are protected by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 30:2 "That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked
at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and
to trust in the shadow of Egypt!"
The worst thing of all is where they are going for help. Egypt is
a symbol of the world and worldliness. This would be the blind leading
the blind. The only help believers have is in the LORD. We cannot, and
should not, look to the world for answers. They will lead us astray
with them. Pharaoh is just a man. God had shown the inability of the
Pharaoh against God in the 10 plagues he brought on Egypt. This
Pharaoh is not a specific person, but symbolizes whoever is ruling in
Egypt. The Egyptians cannot even take care of themselves, or Egypt how
could they help God's people? God is a jealous God. He will be angry
at them for looking for help other than from Him.
Isaiah 30:3 "Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your
shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt [your] confusion."
God had His children's needs first in His mind. The leader of
Egypt [probably Tirhakah} had Egypt's interest at heart. They were
looking at Pharaoh as if he were god. He is not. Throwing in with
Egypt, is like bringing the world into the church. Neither will
survive for very long. They are based on worldliness.
Isaiah 30:4 "For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors
came to Hanes."
It seems Zoan was at one time a prominent city of Egypt. It, like
many other cities of that day, did not survive. The ambassadors are
those representing the leader of Egypt. It seems there was a meeting
place to discuss all of this.
Isaiah 30:5 "They were all ashamed of a people [that] could not
profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a
reproach."
These descendents of Jacob should be ashamed, but whether this
means them, I cannot tell. Egypt thought of Jacob's descendents as
being of no help to them. They were a reproach to heathen countries,
because of their God.
Isaiah 30:6 "The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land
of trouble and anguish, from whence [come] the young and old lion, the
viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the
shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of
camels, to a people [that] shall not profit [them]."
It appears from this that, they were carrying their treasures to
give to Egypt in exchange for Egypt protecting them. The place they
were to meet and make the deal was thought to be full of evil, such as
the lion, flying serpent, and the viper.
Isaiah 30:7 "For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no
purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength [is]
to sit still."
After all of their plans, Egypt is no help to them at all. It
appears from this that, Egypt sits by idly and allows them to be
overrun. Even if they did help some, it was to no avail.
Isaiah 30:8 "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note
it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:"
This is not to be forgotten. They are to write it down and
remember their folly of getting help from Egypt.
Isaiah 30:9 "That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children,
children [that] will not hear the law of the LORD:"
These children of God have rebelled against God, when they sought
help from Egypt. They claim to be children of God, but they do not
obey Him. They are not even interested in the law of the LORD given to
them to live by. All of their troubles would be over, if they would
repent and turn to God. God is their very present help. They should
not look to the world for answers.
Isaiah 30:10 "Which say to the seers, See not; and to the
prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth
things, prophesy deceits:"
These Israelites did not want to hear the truth from the
prophets. They wanted to hear things that pleased them, not the truth.
That is so much like what people in the church say today. They want to
hear that God loves them, but they do not want to hear anything they
have to do. They do not want their sins pointed out, so that they can
repent and be saved. They wanted even the prophets to prophesy only
things they wanted to hear.
Isaiah 30:11 "Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path,
cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."
Holy One of Israel was a name of God that Isaiah frequently used.
Perhaps he used it so much to compare God's holiness with the people's
unholiness. They felt so guilty when Isaiah kept reminding them of
their failures. They went so far as to say, they did not want God
before them any more.
Isaiah 30:12 "Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel,
Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and
perverseness, and stay thereon:"
It is obvious they are not interested in the Word of God. They do
not want to be led by the Spirit of God, and they do not have respect
for His law. Since they have put their trust in the things of this
world, such as brute strength and evil, God will not help them. He
gave them a free will, and they have chosen oppression and
perverseness over Godly things. They can stay in their evil.
Isaiah 30:13 "Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach
ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh
suddenly at an instant."
They have pulled away from God. There is a break {breach} in
their relationship with God. Their sin has separated them from God.
Their punishment for their sin will come suddenly upon them. They have
built a wall separating themselves from God. The wall will crumble
and fall. Their handiwork will fail.
Isaiah 30:14 "And he shall break it as the breaking of the
potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that
there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire
from the hearth, or to take water [withal] out of the pit."
Judah's fall is compared, here, to the shattering of a fallen
pitcher. There will not be anything left of it. There will not even be
enough left to get water with, or to pick a piece of fire up with. It
is totally shattered.
Isaiah 30:15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of
Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in
confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."
If the Israelites had just come home and quietly waited upon the
Lord in rest and peace, He would have fought for them. They would have
been safe. They would not listen to God, and they did not trust His
promises. Abraham's faith saved him, not something he did. Placing
their complete trust in God would have saved the Israelites. Psalms
29:11 "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will
bless his people with peace." II Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto
me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Isaiah 30:16 "But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses;
therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore
shall they that pursue you be swift."
They are not interested in the help of God. They are depending
upon their own strength and the strength of the Egyptians in battle.
They are feeling as if these swift horses are all they need. God says,
since you depend on that, we will see that your enemies horses are
swift, as well.
Isaiah 30:17 "One thousand [shall flee] at the rebuke of one; at
the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the
top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill."
We see they will be so frightened that just a handful {5} of the
enemy will cause them to run and hide. They will be stripped of all
their equipment, and will stand helpless in front of the enemy. They
will be like a flag that symbolizes their defeat.
Isaiah 30:18 "And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have
mercy upon you: for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: blessed [are] all
they that wait for him."
The LORD will wait till they have been humiliated, and then will
He graciously lift them up. God will have mercy upon them, because
they are His and He loves them, not because they deserve it. The only
thing they had to do was to look to God and ask for His help. God had
allowed all of this to happen to them in the way a father chastises a
child, to teach them a lesson. If they will repent and come to Him for
help, He will save them.
Isaiah 30:19 "For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem:
thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the
voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee."
This is speaking of those who remain in Jerusalem. Zion, also,
means the church. This could be speaking two messages. One to the
physical house, who had disobeyed God, and He had forgiven them. It
could, also, be speaking of the church saved by the grace of God.
Salvation is available to all who call on the name of the Lord.
Isaiah 30:20 "And [though] the Lord give you the bread of
adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be
removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy
teachers:"
Bread and water is given to God's people, even though there is
great adversity and affliction. The people will look to God to guide
them. He will not be hidden from them any more. He will teach them
openly by His Spirit.
Isaiah 30:21 "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee,
saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right
hand, and when ye turn to the left."
They will even be guided in the path they are to walk. Their
instructions will not come from other people, but will be from God. We
could think of this as the Great Shepherd which leads His sheep in the
way of righteousness. Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice and follow
me."
Isaiah 30:22 "Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven
images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou
shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it,
Get thee hence."
"Defile", in this verse, means to contaminate, or pronounce
unclean. The Egyptians, and the other earthly kingdoms around them,
had images of silver and gold that they worshipped. We see the
Israelites will pronounce them no gods and will destroy them. The
menstrous cloth should be burned. This is what Isaiah is telling them
to do with these false gods. Their righteousness was as filthy rags.
The only righteousness acceptable is the righteousness of Christ.
Isaiah 30:23 "Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou
shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth,
and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed
in large pastures."
The blessings of God will be upon them and their crops, when they
denounce the false gods of the world. The fields will produce
bountifully, and even their cows will be fat on the pasture.
Isaiah 30:24 "The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the
ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the
shovel and with the fan."
This is not a skimpy crop. The oxen will eat grain that was
thought of as being the highest grade. They were tossed {winnowed} and
all the trash removed. The fan is the same thing. This was high grade
provender for the animals.
Isaiah 30:25 "And there shall be upon every high mountain, and
upon every high hill, rivers [and] streams of waters in the day of the
great slaughter, when the towers fall."
Mountain streams provide pure water. These streams could be
channeled and used to irrigate the crops. Water was plentiful, because
God had provided it.
Isaiah 30:26 "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the
light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the
light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of
his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."
This is just saying, there will be plenty of sunshine, along with
the water, to make the crops grow.
Isaiah 30:27 "Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far,
burning [with] his anger, and the burden [thereof is] heavy: his lips
are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:" Isaiah
30:28 "And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the
midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and
[there shall be] a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing [them] to
err."
This has to be speaking of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Jehovah
Saviour is what the name Jesus means. When Jesus came to the earth, He
separated people out of families and separated nations, as well. The
Words that came from the mouth of Jesus burned the evil out, wherever
it was spoken. We must never forget that Jesus is Judge, as well as
Saviour. He will judge these nations that are constantly in error, as
well as the individuals. This seems to jump into the time when the
wrath of God will come. The vanity of the nations is speaking of their
sins.
Isaiah 30:29 "Ye shall have a song, as in the night [when] a holy
solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a
pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of
Israel."
While the wrath of God is being poured out on the evil nations,
there will be a song of rejoicing for those of His followers. The
coming into the place of worship in Jerusalem, was many times led by
someone playing a flute with all the procession singing. They were on
the way to the house of the Lord in His holy mountain. This could,
also, be speaking of the believers who sing around the throne in
heaven. They sing the song of the redeemed. The mountain of the LORD,
sometimes, is indicative of heaven, or the New Jerusalem, as well as
the mount of God in physical Jerusalem.
Isaiah 30:30 "And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be
heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the
indignation of [his] anger, and [with] the flame of a devouring fire,
[with] scattering, and tempest, and hailstones."
This, again, speaks of the wrath of God. This terrible
destruction is accompanied by use of all the elements, including fire.
Isaiah 30:31 "For through the voice of the LORD shall the
Assyrian be beaten down, [which] smote with a rod."
God speaks judgement against Assyria.
Isaiah 30:32 "And [in] every place where the grounded staff shall
pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, [it] shall be with tabrets
and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it."
Assyria shall be beaten down of God, and its enemies shall
rejoice. This does not mean just Assyria, but all who have the spirit
of Assyria.
Isaiah 30:33 "For Tophet [is] ordained of old; yea, for the king
it is prepared; he hath made [it] deep [and] large: the pile thereof
[is] fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of
brimstone, doth kindle it."
"Tophet" is a place of burning. This could be speaking of the
lake of fire. This is a burning place for the evil of all the world.
It is waiting for the breath of Jesus to order the devil and His
angels there. The false prophet, and the antichrist, and the beast
will go there, too. The sad thing is, that all who do not receive
Jesus as their Saviour and Lord will be cast into the fire, as well.
Revelation 19:20 "And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them
that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his
image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone." Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever." Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death." Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire."
Isaiah 34 Questions
1. What caused the woe in verse 1?
2. Who are the children in verse 1?
3. Who should they take counsel of?
4. The Holy Spirit of God is our _________ and ________.
5. What is the worst thing of all that they are doing?
6. How had God shown the Pharaoh's weakness against Him?
7. The strength of Pharaoh shall be your _________.
8. Who was probably the leader in Egypt at this time spoken of?
9. Throwing in with Egypt is like _________ ___ _____ _____ ____
church.
10. What was the prominent city of Egypt mentioned in verse 4?
11. They were carrying their treasures to Egypt in exchange for what?
12. What help does Egypt give them really?
13. What are they to do to help them remember their folly?
14. What type of people are the children called in verse 9?
15. They would not hear the _______ __ ___ _____.
16. What kind of prophecy did they want to hear?
17. What terrible thing did they say in verse 11?
18. What was the name Isaiah frequently used for God?
19. What had they put their trust in other than God?
20. Verse 13 says, their iniquity is like a _________ ready to fall.
21. God will break Judah like what?
22. Verse 15 says, in what they will be saved?
23. Quote Psalms chapter 29 verse 11.
24. Quote 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9.
25. They decided to flee on _________.
26. Just a handful of ______ can cause an army of fearful to flee.
27. Why will God have mercy upon them?
28. What are the two messages in verse 19?
29. What is given to God's people to sustain them, even though there
is great adversity and affliction?
30. Jesus said, "My sheep know my _________ and follow Me".
31. What does "defile", in verse 22, mean?
32. Their righteousness was as filthy ______.
33. Quote Isaiah chapter 30 verse 23.
34. Mountain streams provide ______ ________.
35. Who is verse 27 and 28 speaking of?
36. What can the mountain of the Lord be indicative of?
37. What does "Tophet" mean?
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