Scripture Reading: Isa. 32; Isa. 33; Isa. 34; Isa. 35
In this message we will consider chapters thirty-two through thirty-five. Before we come to these chapters, I would like to say a word concerning the main thought of the book of Isaiah.
The divine revelation in Isaiah concerns God's economy, to have Christ as the centrality and universality of God's great move. God's great move is a great wheel, having a hub, a rim, and spokes between the two. Christ is the centrality — the hub — and the universality — the rim with all the spokes. Christ is everything in God's move. This is the main thought of this book.
To understand the book of Isaiah, we need to have the view from the entire sixty-six books of the Bible. Isaiah is of two portions. The first portion includes chapters one through thirty-nine, and the second portion includes chapters forty through sixty-six. The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah correspond to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. The last twenty-seven chapters correspond to the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. The New Testament begins with John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-3), and Isaiah 40 also begins with John the Baptist (v. 3).
The first part of Isaiah concerns the chastisement of God's dear people and the punishment of the nations to bring in a turn among God's people. To have a turn to fulfill God's purpose, we need to realize that we have been discharged, "fired," by God. Today, our practical God, our God in our daily living, is Christ. As descendants of Adam, as those created by God, we want to know God, worship Him, do His will, please Him, and fulfill the desire of His heart. This is right, for God wants us to be a good human being and one who fulfills His purpose. But God never planned or arranged in His eternal economy that we should do this by ourselves. He wants us to do it by Him. He wants us to let Him do it in us, by us, and through us. For example, as one who has been loving the Lord for many years, I can testify that the hardest thing for us Christians to overcome is our temper. God, however, does not want us to overcome our temper. We should neither lose our temper nor try to overcome it. Instead, we need to resign, give up, have a turn from trying to overcome our temper, and let Christ come in to be the temper- overcomer. The real spiritual turn is to resign from the position of one who is trying to be a proper human being. We need to resign from what we want to do. This is Isaiah's thought and logic.
Let us now go on to see that, according to chapters thirty-two through thirty-five, Jehovah's destruction of the nations is for Christ to be the King to bring in the restoration for Israel.
Isaiah 33:1 says, "Woe to you who destroy and were not destroyed, / And to him who deals unfaithfully and was not dealt with unfaithfully! / When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed; / And when you cease to deal unfaithfully, they will deal unfaithfully with you." This indicates that everyone, regardless of his situation and no matter what kind of person he is, will be destroyed. Everyone will be fired.
At the noise of the tumult the peoples flee. At the lifting up of Jehovah the nations were scattered. Their spoil will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. As locusts rush to and fro, men will rush to and fro upon it (33:3-4).
According to verse 9, the land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is ashamed and withers away, Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. Verse 10 says, "Now I will arise, says Jehovah,/Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up." The breath of the nations, like fire, will devour them. The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like cut down thorns that are burned in the fire (vv. 11-12).
Isaiah 34:1 says, "Draw near, O nations, to hear;/And listen, O peoples!/Let the earth and all that fills it hear,/ The world and all that springs forth from it." Jehovah's indignation is upon all the nations, and His wrath is upon all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them; He has delivered them unto the slaughter (v. 2). This is God's way of firing all the nations. God fires everyone — the good and the bad, the overcoming one and the defeated one. Today, God is firing both Christians and non-Christians.
Further details regarding Jehovah's destruction of the nations are found in 34:4-6, 8-9, 12-13. All the armies of heaven will be dissolved, and the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. All their host will wither away, as the leaf withers from the vine, or like a sheaf withering from the fig tree (34:4). Jehovah's sword has drunk its fill in heaven. Now it will descend in judgment upon Edom and upon the people whom He has devoted (cursed) to judgment; for Jehovah has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom (vv. 5-6). According to the Bible, this sacrifice in Bozrah and slaughter in the land of Edom will be fulfilled in full in the great war at Armageddon, which will take place in a region that extends to Bozrah. Jehovah has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for Zion's contention (v. 8). Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone; and its land will become burning pitch (v. 9). As for its nobles, there is no one there whom they may call to assume the kingdom, and all its princes will be nothing. Furthermore, thorns will come up in its cities; and it will be a habitation for jackals and an abode for ostriches (vv. 12-13).
Jehovah's destruction of the nations is for Christ to be the King. After all the "hired" people and kings were fired, there is another King, Christ (32:1). God hired us to be kings, but we did not do very well; therefore, we were fired that Christ could be the King as our replacement.
Since everyone has been fired, who will be the king? Christ will be the King, and many of those who love Him will be the rulers. Concerning this, 32:1 says, "Behold, a King will reign according to righteousness,/And the rulers will rule according to justice."
Isaiah 32:2 says, "A man will be like a refuge from the wind/And a covering from the tempest,/Like streams of water in a dry place,/Like the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land." Here we see that Christ will also be a man who is a refuge from the wind, a covering from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, and like the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land. On the one hand, Christ will be the King ruling; on the other hand, He will be a man overshadowing. Under Him there will be righteousness, protection, and enjoyment. This is a picture of the millennial kingdom.
As the King, Christ will bring in the restoration for Israel.
The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will attend. The heart of the hasty will understand knowledge, and the tongue of those who stammer will hasten to speak elegantly (32:3-4).
The Spirit will be poured upon them from on high, and the wilderness will become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be considered to be a forest (32:15). Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness will be quietness and assurance forever. Jehovah's people will live in a peaceful habitation and in secure dwellings and carefree resting places (vv. 16-18). This indicates that when Christ rules over the earth, righteousness will be there. This righteousness will work out peace, quietness, and assurance (or trust). Righteousness under Christ's reign will be our security. Thus, there will be a peaceful habitation.
In 33:2 Isaiah says, "O Jehovah, be gracious to us; we have waited for You;/Be our arm every morning,/Our salvation also in the time of distress." In the morning revival we need to enjoy Christ as our arm and our salvation. We also need to enjoy Him in this way during times of distress.
According to 33:5, Jehovah is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Verse 6 continues, "And there will be stability for your times: / A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;/The fear of Jehovah is his treasure." Stability is similar to assurance. Here the word times refers to one's entire life. In the restoration, the life of God's people will be filled with stability.
"Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;/Your eyes will see Jerusalem,/A secure habitation, a tent that will not be removed;/Its stakes will never be pulled up,/And none of its cords will be torn apart" (33:20). There the Majestic, Jehovah, will be for Israel a place of rivers and broad streams, for He is their Judge, their Lawmaker, and their King. He will save them (v. 21a, 22). The inhabitant will not say, "I am sick," and the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity (v. 24).
In chapter thirty-five we have a marvelous picture of restoration. The wilderness and the desert will be glad; and the desert will blossom like the rose. It will blossom and blossom and even rejoice with joy and a ringing shout. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of their God. (vv. 1-2). Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. The lame will leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb will give a ringing shout. For water will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The desert mirage will become a pool, and the thirsty ground, springs of water. In the habitation of jackals, their resting place, there will be grass with reeds and rushes. The place that was once so unpleasant will become the resting place of the restored people. A highway will be there, and a way, and it will be called "The Way of Holiness." The unclean will not pass on it, but it will be for him who walks on the way; no fools will wander (or err) in it. There will be no lion there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there, but the redeemed will walk on it. The ransomed of Jehovah will return and will come to Zion with a ringing shout, and eternal joy will be upon their heads. They will lay hold on gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away (vv. 5-10).
