Isaiah The next oracle against Israel s neighbors and foes

Transcription

1 Isaiah The next racle against Israel s neighbrs and fes Still lking at an verall pattern Babyln was a message f hw the enemy and his frces g dwn in flames, but Israel rises frm the ashes Philistines taught that the thrne f David will rise again, even if it appears t have faded, and it will crush all ppsitin Mab taught that the Lrd will ffer refuge t a small remnant f Israel s enemies (gentiles), wh will be sheltered in Israel s shadw and share in her kingdm But if Gd is willing t ffer mercy fr sme gentiles, He is equally willing t hld Israel accuntable and will bring judgment against Ephraim Nw we lk at Cush, which is the ancient name fr the land f Ethipia Is. 18:1 Alas, h land f whirring wings Which lies beynd the rivers f Cush, Is. 18:2 Which sends envys by the sea, Even in papyrus vessels n the surface f the waters. G, swift messengers, t a natin tall and smth, T a peple feared far and wide, A pwerful and ppressive natin Whse land the rivers divide. Is. 18:3 All yu inhabitants f the wrld and dwellers n earth, As sn as a standard is raised n the muntains, yu will see it, And as sn as the trumpet is blwn, yu will hear it. Is. 18:4 Fr thus the LORD has tld me, I will lk frm My dwelling place quietly Like dazzling heat in the sunshine, Like a clud f dew in the heat f harvest. Fllwing the same pattern we ve been using, we want t knw what cuntry first The land beynd the rivers f Cush (and divided by rivers in v.2) Cush is Ethipia (Psa 68:31 uses the same Hebrew wrd) 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Isaiah 18-20! 2 And even thugh it says the land beynd the rivers, remember frm whse perspective this scene is described - the Jewish perspective If yu were in Israel lking in Ethipia s directin, yu lk suth, suthwest The first thing in yur line f sight is the nrtheast crner f Ethipia, where tw rivers dminate the gegraphy: the Blue Nile and the Atbara rivers The land beynd thse rivers is still Ethipia Verse 2 describes the peple f this land Sea-ging peple, n distinctive ships wh sails resembled wings f an insect (v.1) They were tall and had minimal bdy hair (smth) by Jewish standards They were pwerful and feared natin Jsephus identifies Ethipia as the kingdm Sheba, as in the Queen f Sheba Then Isaiah says that there will be a signal, a standard raised n the muntains that every human n earth will see Fr the Lrd will emerge frm his dwelling place...quietly But the wrd shaqat als means t grant relief The Lrd appears like a dazzling ht sunshine, and like a refreshing clud Cnsider these verses Zech. 14:5 Yu will flee by the valley f My muntains, fr the valley f the muntains will reach t Azel; yes, yu will flee just as yu fled befre the earthquake in the days f Uzziah king f Judah. Then the LORD, my Gd, will cme, and all the hly nes with Him! Zech. 14:6 In that day there will be n light; the luminaries will dwindle. Zech. 14:7 Fr it will be a unique day which is knwn t the LORD, neither day nr night, but it will cme abut that at evening time there will be light. Zech. 14:8 And in that day living waters will flw ut f Jerusalem, half f them tward the eastern sea and the ther half tward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Isaiah 18-20! 3 Zech. 14:9 And the LORD will be king ver all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the nly ne, and His name the nly ne. Rev. 19:11 And I saw heaven pened, and behld, a white hrse, and He wh sat n it is called Faithful and True, and in righteusness He judges and wages war. Rev. 19:12 His eyes are a flame f fire, and n His head are many diadems; and He has a name written n Him which n ne knws except Himself. Rev. 19:13 He is clthed with a rbe dipped in bld, and His name is called The Wrd f Gd. Rev. 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clthed in fine linen, white and clean, were fllwing Him n white hrses. S it seems that v.3 refers t a wrldwide sign, like the ne referenced in Zech 14 And v.4 talks abut the Lrd leaving His dwelling place t bring relief Lking like a sun shining and a refreshing clud (culd this be the clud f saints fllwing after? Or maybe a reference t the living waters that will flw after His arrival? Ostensively, we re talking abut Ethipia s future judgment in return fr her ppsitin t Israel But Isaiah has bviusly decided t take this cnversatin much further than just Ethipia Isaiah s describing the return f the Lrd Remember the tw levels f Isaiah s teaching in this sectin Is. 18:5 Fr befre the harvest, as sn as the bud blssms And the flwer becmes a ripening grape, Then He will cut ff the sprigs with pruning knives And remve and cut away the spreading branches. Is. 18:6 They will be left tgether fr muntain birds f prey, And fr the beasts f the earth; And the birds f prey will spend the summer feeding n them, And all the beasts f the earth will spend harvest time n them Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Isaiah 18-20! 4 Is. 18:7 At that time a gift f hmage will be brught t the LORD f hsts Frm a peple tall and smth, Even frm a peple feared far and wide, A pwerful and ppressive natin, Whse land the rivers divide T the place f the name f the LORD f hsts, even Munt Zin. Nw we lk at timing a little v.5 says that all f this will happen like when buds are blming and branches are spreading Grape flwers are blming ready t becme grapes We knw that grape vines and fig trees are cnsistently used in Scripture t describe the natin f Israel S here we have Israel blming Matt. 24:32 Nw learn the parable frm the fig tree: when its branch has already becme tender and puts frth its leaves, yu knw that summer is near; Matt. 24:33 s, yu t, when yu see all these things, recgnize that He is near, right at the dr. But suddenly the vine is pruned The image is ne f prematurely pruning The events ccur when it s least expected, befre anyne was ready Matt. 24:36 But f that day and hur n ne knws, nt even the angels f heaven, nr the Sn, but the Father alne. Matt. 24:37 Fr the cming f the Sn f Man will be just like the days f Nah. Matt. 24:38 Fr as in thse days befre the fld they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Nah entered the ark, Matt. 24:39 and they did nt understand until the fld came and tk them all away; s will the cming f the Sn f Man be. Then in verse 6, Isaiah gets t the meat f the judgment it seems They are left fr the birds t feast n them ver the entire summer 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Isaiah 18-20! 5 Rev. 19:15 Frm His muth cmes a sharp swrd, s that with it He may strike dwn the natins, and He will rule them with a rd f irn; and He treads the wine press f the fierce wrath f Gd, the Almighty. Rev. 19:16 And n His rbe and n His thigh He has a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried ut with a lud vice, saying t all the birds which fly in midheaven, Cme, assemble fr the great supper f Gd, Rev. 19:18 s that yu may eat the flesh f kings and the flesh f cmmanders and the flesh f mighty men and the flesh f hrses and f thse wh sit n them and the flesh f all men, bth free men and slaves, and small and great. Rev. 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings f the earth and their armies assembled t make war against Him wh sat n the hrse and against His army. Rev. 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prphet wh perfrmed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived thse wh had received the mark f the beast and thse wh wrshiped his image; these tw were thrwn alive int the lake f fire which burns with brimstne. Rev. 19:21 And the rest were killed with the swrd which came frm the muth f Him wh sat n the hrse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Finally, a gift f hmage t the Lrd results Peple cming t the Lrd, including the tall and smth f Ethipia Cming t Mt Zin in peace rather than as an ppressr Of curse, this is the Messianic kingdm that fllws Christ s return, taking hld with Christ ruling frm the Muntain In ttal, it s a great picture f the Lrd s return built int an racle cncerning Ethipia There s a beautiful symmetry t Isaiah s writing here...a chiasm Verse 1 & 2...wings and rivers dividing, tall smth men, cming t attack Jerusalem In verse 6 &7...wings, rivers dividing, tall smth men, cming t praise the Lrd Verse 3... signs t the natins f Christ s arrival Verse 5...a sign t the Wrld f his imminent return Verse 5 is the chiasm, Israel s blssming again n the wrld stage 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Isaiah 18-20! 6 What s ur puzzle piece here? Babyln = enemy and his frces will be defeated, but Israel rises frm the ashes Philistines = thrne f David will rise again, even if it appears t have faded, and it will crush all ppsitin Mab = the Lrd will ffer refuge t a small remnant f gentiles, sheltered in Israel s prmises and share in her kingdm Gd will hld Israel accuntable and will bring judgment against Ephraim Cush = Israel s enemies will be transfrmed int natins that pay hmage t Zin Is. 19:1 The racle cncerning Egypt. Behld, the LORD is riding n a swift clud and is abut t cme t Egypt; The idls f Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart f the Egyptians will melt within them. Is. 19:2 S I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will each fight against his brther and each against his neighbr, City against city and kingdm against kingdm. Is. 19:3 Then the spirit f the Egyptians will be demralized within them; And I will cnfund their strategy, S that they will resrt t idls and ghsts f the dead And t mediums and spiritists. Is. 19:4 Mrever, I will deliver the Egyptians int the hand f a cruel master, And a mighty king will rule ver them, declares the Lrd GOD f hsts. Is. 19:5 The waters frm the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry. Is. 19:6 The canals will emit a stench, The streams f Egypt will thin ut and dry up; The reeds and rushes will rt away. Is. 19:7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge f the Nile And all the swn fields by the Nile Will becme dry, be driven away, and be n mre. Is. 19:8 And the fishermen will lament, And all thse wh cast a line int the Nile will murn, And thse wh spread nets n the waters will pine away. Is. 19:9 Mrever, the manufacturers f linen made frm cmbed flax And the weavers f white clth will be utterly dejected. Is. 19:10 And the pillars f Egypt will be crushed; All the hired labrers will be grieved in sul Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Isaiah 18-20! 7 Clearly this is Egypt Egypt has had a much mre detailed invlvement in Israel s past S much s that the natin f Egypt itself is used at times in Scripture as a picture f the unbelieving sinful wrld Egypt was famusly Israel s ppressr during the time f Mses And in later centuries they cntinued t frm a threat t Israel, initiating fur separate wars against Israel And even tday Nt surprisingly, this racle includes much mre discussin f specific judgments than the past cuple f racles Verse 1 establishes that the instigatr fr all that will happen is Gd Thugh there are natural events, like civil war, they are still all triggered and cntrlled by Gd Fr example, v.2 says I meaning Gd Gd will stir up a civil war Ultimately leading t a despt rising t pwer and ruling in a cruel fashin ver the peple Over its lng histry, Egypt has experienced many civil wars and cruel pharahs, s it s nt easy t identify which ne (r nes) are in view here Gd ges further and will break dwn their scial and religius pillars And He will disrupt their natural resurces, particularly the imprtant river system f Egypt in the Nile valley This wuld be devastating t Egypt Their entire ecnmy, as represented by labrers, will be in shambles 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Isaiah 18-20! 8 Is. 19:11 The princes f Zan are mere fls; The advice f Pharah s wisest advisers has becme stupid. Hw can yu men say t Pharah, I am a sn f the wise, a sn f ancient kings? Is. 19:12 Well then, where are yur wise men? Please let them tell yu, And let them understand what the LORD f hsts Has purpsed against Egypt. Is. 19:13 The princes f Zan have acted flishly, The princes f Memphis are deluded; Thse wh are the crnerstne f her tribes Have led Egypt astray. Is. 19:14 The LORD has mixed within her a spirit f distrtin; They have led Egypt astray in all that it des, As a drunken man staggers in his vmit. Is. 19:15 There will be n wrk fr Egypt Which its head r tail, its palm branch r bulrush, may d. In respnse t these calamities, Pharah seeks the advice f wise men, srcerers and spiritists They cme frm Zan and Memphis, which are bth majr cities in suthern Egypt Gd mcks their suppsed wisdm Asking hw can they hpe t understand Gd thrugh human wisdm Gd pints t the leaders and assign blame t them fr leading the peple astray Leading them int wars against Israel and leading them in t idl wrship Gd then ges s far in v.14 as t purpsefully delude and distrt their understanding t cause the natin f Egypt t g even further astray Ultimately leading t ttal unemplyment and the abandnment f the land Ezekiel cvers this same event 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Isaiah 18-20! 9 Ezek. 29:8 Therefre thus says the Lrd GOD, Behld, I will bring upn yu a swrd and I will cut ff frm yu man and beast. Ezek. 29:9 The land f Egypt will becme a deslatin and waste. Then they will knw that I am the LORD. Because yu said, The Nile is mine, and I have made it, Ezek. 29:10 therefre, behld, I am against yu and against yur rivers, and I will make the land f Egypt an utter waste and deslatin, frm Migdl t Syene and even t the brder f Ethipia. Ezek. 29:11 A man s ft will nt pass thrugh it, and the ft f a beast will nt pass thrugh it, and it will nt be inhabited fr frty years. Ezek. 29:12 S I will make the land f Egypt a deslatin in the midst f deslated lands. And her cities, in the midst f cities that are laid waste, will be deslate frty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians amng the natins and disperse them amng the lands. We haven t seen this happen yet S in a future day t cme, Gd brings this judgment against Egypt Empty fr frty years The scene gets mre curius Back t Isaiah... Is. 19:16 In that day the Egyptians will becme like wmen, and they will tremble and be in dread because f the waving f the hand f the LORD f hsts, which He is ging t wave ver them. Is. 19:17 The land f Judah will becme a terrr t Egypt; everyne t whm it is mentined will be in dread f it, because f the purpse f the LORD f hsts which He is purpsing against them. Is. 19:18 In that day five cities in the land f Egypt will be speaking the language f Canaan and swearing allegiance t the LORD f hsts; ne will be called the City f Destructin. Is. 19:19 In that day there will be an altar t the LORD in the midst f the land f Egypt, and a pillar t the LORD near its brder. Is. 19:20 It will becme a sign and a witness t the LORD f hsts in the land f Egypt; fr they will cry t the LORD because f ppressrs, and He will send them a Savir and a Champin, and He will deliver them. Is. 19:21 Thus the LORD will make Himself knwn t Egypt, and the Egyptians will knw the LORD in that day. They will even wrship with sacrifice and ffering, and will make a vw t the LORD and perfrm it. Is. 19:22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking but healing; s they will return t the LORD, and He will respnd t them and will heal them Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Isaiah 18-20! 10 Nw Isaiah begins t use an imprtant and familiar phrase t intrduce each new pint...in that day When we see this phrase, we knw it lks frward t a prphetic day and it begins t suggest a certain special time as we ve seen befre Let s lk at the details t see if we recgnize them t be the same day as the ne Isaiah has spken abut befre First, Egyptians tremble in dread f Israel Because f what Gd des n behalf f Israel Judah becming a terrr t Egypt The five majr cities f Egypt begin t speak in the language f Canaan, which means in Hebrew And they swear an allegiance t the Lrd And a city is renamed City f Destructin which is als translated city f sun And they set up altars t the Lrd rather than pagan altars Then they cry ut fr Gd t save them, and he respnd by sending them a savir and champin wh is Gd himself (v.20) Gd makes Himself knwn t Egypt and they will knw Him and wrship and sacrifice t Him The strike Gd delivers is ne that ultimately prmpts healing (v. 22) Nw we see clearly which day Isaiah means when he says in that day The day f Tribulatin fllwed by Jesus return and reign in the kingdm A day when natins like Egypt are brught under judgment but then sme are saved in faith as gentiles t jin the kingdm S the events Isaiah describes at the beginning f the chapter are events that ccur during Tribulatin When rivers dry up and an evil despt (antichrist) takes rule ver them and civil wars break ut amng the peple 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Isaiah 18-20! 11 And false prphets rise up t explain the calamities f Tribulatin in false reasning that Gd creates t cnfuse them 2Th. 2:8 Then that lawless ne will be revealed whm the Lrd will slay with the breath f His muth and bring t an end by the appearance f His cming; 2Th. 2:9 that is, the ne whse cming is in accrd with the activity f Satan, with all pwer and signs and false wnders, 2Th. 2:10 and with all the deceptin f wickedness fr thse wh perish, because they did nt receive the lve f the truth s as t be saved. 2Th. 2:11 Fr this reasn Gd will send upn them a deluding influence s that they will believe what is false, 2Th. 2:12 in rder that they all may be judged wh did nt believe the truth, but tk pleasure in wickedness. Cmpare this language t the language we read in Isaiah v.14 When the antichrist is revealed in the wrld, Gd sends a deluding influence n the natins s that they believe the lies f the enemy the antichrist and fllw his rule This is a part f Gd s judgment n the natins Ultimately, the purpse f His strike we re tld is t heal them (v. 22) Finishing Isaiah 19 Is. 19:23 In that day there will be a highway frm Egypt t Assyria, and the Assyrians will cme int Egypt and the Egyptians int Assyria, and the Egyptians will wrship with the Assyrians. Is. 19:24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst f the earth, Is. 19:25 whm the LORD f hsts has blessed, saying, Blessed is Egypt My peple, and Assyria the wrk f My hands, and Israel My inheritance. Still in that day... We find a rad being established frm Egypt t Assyria and a cmmn heart established t wrship Gd: Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Culd Jews in Isaiah s day image that? Under the Rmans such a rad existed, called the Via Maris The rad by the sea, because it went by the Med sea 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Isaiah 18-20! 12 But Rman times can t be the time f fulfillment fr this prphecy because there was n cmmn wrship established between these three natins Much less a cmmn wrship f Yahweh Tday the Via Maris is gne, because the brders between Egypt and Israel and Israel and Syria are sealed This is als a future day, in the Millennial kingdm when the wrld is united under Christ s rule But hw d we recncile this with the Ezekiel passage abut 40 years f empty land in Egypt? Well, back t Ezekiel Ezek. 29:13 Fr thus says the Lrd GOD, At the end f frty years I will gather the Egyptians frm the peples amng whm they were scattered. Ezek. 29:14 I will turn the frtunes f Egypt and make them return t the land f Pathrs, t the land f their rigin, and there they will be a lwly kingdm. Ezek. 29:15 It will be the lwest f the kingdms, and it will never again lift itself up abve the natins. And I will make them s small that they will nt rule ver the natins. Ezek. 29:16 And it will never again be the cnfidence f the huse f Israel, bringing t mind the iniquity f their having turned t Egypt. Then they will knw that I am the Lrd GOD. At the end f the frty years, the land is inhabited again, but nw they are a lwly natin They are the least f the wrld s natins And yet in v.16, they will knw the Lrd as Gd S this must be in the Messianic kingdm, after Christ s return S it s reasnable t assume that the 40 years f emptiness are the first frty years f the kingdm This is a part f Egypt s punishment And then when peple d return, the natin will becme the least f all natins n earth S while Israel was frced t spend 40 years wander utside their land after leaving Egypt 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Isaiah 18-20! 13 S what s the puzzle piece fr Egypt Likewise, the Egyptians will have t spend the first 40 years f the kingdm living in ther lands as exiles themselves Well, interestingly fr bth Ethipia and Egypt, we ve nly see Isaiah talking abut the secndary level prphecy (the ne that invlves the last days) There hasn t been a near-term prphecy fr judging these natins It seems like that piece was missing fr bth And it was because Isaiah saves it fr chapter 20 when bth natins receive Gd s judgment at the same time Is. 20:1 In the year that the cmmander came t Ashdd, when Sargn the king f Assyria sent him and he fught against Ashdd and captured it, Is. 20:2 at that time the LORD spke thrugh Isaiah the sn f Amz, saying, G and lsen the sackclth frm yur hips and take yur shes ff yur feet. And he did s, ging naked and bareft. Is. 20:3 And the LORD said, Even as My servant Isaiah has gne naked and bareft three years as a sign and tken against Egypt and Cush, Is. 20:4 s the king f Assyria will lead away the captives f Egypt and the exiles f Cush, yung and ld, naked and bareft with buttcks uncvered, t the shame f Egypt. Is. 20:5 Then they will be dismayed and ashamed because f Cush their hpe and Egypt their bast. Is. 20:6 S the inhabitants f this castland will say in that day, Behld, such is ur hpe, where we fled fr help t be delivered frm the king f Assyria; and we, hw shall we escape? In 711 BC, Egypt began encuraging the Philistine city state f Ashdd t resist Assyrian rule They prmised t send help in their fight but never did The peple f Judah had aligned themselves with Ethipia and Egypt against Assyria S Gd wants t send Judah a message f what t expect He tells Isaiah t parade arund naked fr three years 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Isaiah 18-20! 14 At the end f three years, Isaiah gets t explain what the message means The pint f the message is t illustrate in graphic and humiliating terms what was ging t happen t Ethipia and Egypt at the hands f the Assyrians And fr Judah, it will be a shame t them, because they placed their faith and hpe in thse allies instead f in Gd (vs.5-6) S here is the near-term prphetic judgment against these natins S what is the puzzle piece we see with Egypt? Babyln = enemy and his frces will be defeated, but Israel rises frm the ashes Philistines = thrne f David will rise again, even if it appears t have faded, and it will crush all ppsitin Mab = the Lrd will ffer refuge t a small remnant f gentiles, sheltered in Israel s prmises and share in her kingdm Gd will hld Israel accuntable and will bring judgment against Ephraim Cush = Israel s enemies will be transfrmed int natins that pay hmage t Zin Egypt = But the healing f these natins is nt withut cnsequences fr their sins against Israel, even leading t cnsequences in the kingdm Next we return t Babyln Remember that with each natin, we had a near-term prphetic message and a lng-term, eschatlgical message (end times message) But with Babyln, we nly gt the lng-term message in chapter 13 & 14 We never gt the near-term judgment...that cmes in chapter 21 & 22 It reflects the imprtance f Babyln that it receives s much attentin 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.