(Isaiah 24-39)
Questions for Thought
1. According to Isaiah 24:4-6 what was to be the result of the people’s sins?
2. What does it mean to draw near the lord with the mouth but remove Him from the heart Isaiah 29:13)? Is that anything like what we read in Luke 6:46?
3. When all looked as gloom and doom, what did King Hezekiah do (Isaiah 37:15)? What should we do when things look bad for us?
In Part 1 of this discussion about Israel during the divided period (Isaiah 1-11), Isaiah was prophesying during the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham which are noted in 2 Kings 15. During that time, Judah seemed to be doing well but followed in the path of Israel and increased in idol worship. In Part 2 of the divided period (Isaiah 12-23), Ahaz was reigning during chapter 12. His reign in noted in 2 Kings 16. For chapters 13 through 23, Isaiah was not necessarily covering a historical period. But here in Part 3 (Isaiah 24-39), we find mention of the final king under which Isaiah was said in Isaiah 1:1 to prophecy, Hezekiah. His reign is noted in 2 Kings 17-20.
In Isaiah 24, we have more judgment prophesied upon the people of the world for the sins they have committed, but even among all the curses, we still have a few who offer praise to God in verses 14-15. In chapter 25, we find prophesied that new kingdom in which Christ would swallow up death in victory and wipe away the tears (verse 8). In that day of the new kingdom according to chapter 26, God’s people would sing a song of salvation. There would be a new vineyard with good grapes. Remember back in Isaiah 5:4 how God’s vineyard brought forth wild grapes? Now in this vineyard, the grapes are good. In verse 6 this new Israel, which we know as the church, will fill the earth with fruit. According to Isaiah 27:23, in that day, even the outcasts would worship the Lord in the holy mount.
Chapters 28-35 bring us more warnings and promises. In chapter 28, Isaiah tells of the woes to Ephraim, the largest tribe of Northern Israel, whose glorious beauty was to fade away. Once more we see the remnant here in this chapter in verse 5. To these few, the Lord would be a crown of glory, but to the rest including those who sat in judgment, the religious leaders of the day, His words through Isaiah would be almost wasted. It seems in verses 9-13 Isaiah is giving the people’s thoughts concerning what he is teaching. They may be questioning why he is teaching as he is. Isaiah may be saying they are too weak to understand what he is teaching. God has repeated many times His desire for them to turn back and follow Him, but they are saying this is all repetitious and just command upon command and nothing ever comes of what Isaiah says. But again, beginning in verse 22 God condemned the mockers and in verse 23 again tells the people to listen to what He is saying.
Southern Isarael was not spared of woes as chapter 29 begins with a woe to Ariel of the city of David which was Jerusalem. God said He would go against Jerusalem and she would be brought down. God’s message had in the past been falling upon deaf ears. He had begged Israel to repent and come to Him but they continued to refuse. Trying to reach this people was like giving a sealed book to one who could read and telling him to read to you but it was sealed and he could not read it (verse 11), or giving an open book to one who could not read and telling him to read it. He, being unlearned in reading, would not be able to read the book (verse 12). In verse 13, God described this people as those who honored Him with their speech, but gave Him no honor at all in their hearts. Such is the same as the people today who write great and flowery posts on social media about honoring God but in their works, they have no Biblical support at all for what they do. In their teachings they have no Biblical support for what they teach. Just because we as a people like something and want to do something to honor God does not mean God likes it and wants it done in His honor. But there was still hope for in Isaiah 29:18-24, it seems there was to come a time when the blind would see and those who had erred in spirit would come to understand the truth and learn the doctrine.
In chapters 30 and 31, Isaiah continues woes to Israel. God reminded Isaiah of how the people had depended upon others instead of depending upon God. He accused them of going to Egypt for their aid and of placing their trust Egypt. This should come of no surprise when we think back to the departure from Egypt led by Moses. Remember how the people complained and even wanted to go back to the land of Egypt instead of pressing on to the Promised Land? God told Isaiah to write it down for the people so they would always have it before them how they were a rebellious people who would not hear the law of the Lord (Isaiah 30:9). He said they were a people who would even tell the prophets not to prophesy to them the truth but to speak smooth things or lies. Is this any different than what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 when he warned Timothy of the time to come when the people would not listen to sound doctrine but would listen to teachers who taught what they wanted to hear? Is this happening now? Any preacher who cannot give us book, chapter, and verse for the doctrine he preaches, is one of these people both God in Isaiah and Paul in the book to Timothy were talking about. It was because of such teachers Israel was lost and it is because of such teachers the church can also be lost.
Just as in most of the past chapters, after we have sections of doom and despair, we have words of promise, again in Isaiah 32 we have a promise of a king who will reign in righteousness. Repentance is urged in verses 9-11. Promises of peace and security are noted in verses 16-20.
But more woes are to come in Isaiah’s prophecy in chapters 33-34. In these chapters Isaiah declares the Lord will be taking vengeance. He speaks of the day of the Lord’s vengeance in 34:8. Historians say the prophecy here is against Assyria which had almost complete control of Judah during King Hezekiah’s day. Back in Isaiah 10, God had promised destruction to Assyria and here He is continuing that promise. We will see in future chapters where this prophecy was fulfilled. Isaiah promises when the Lord takes His vengeance, the people would see the king in His beauty (33:17). In Chapter 34, Isaiah said the Lord was against all the nations and their armies. His sword was filled with blood and because all nations had rebelled against God, they would be destroyed.
Once more in chapter 35 we find while those opposing God will see destruction, God’s true followers will find blessings. In verse 4 is the promise of God coming to save His people. Verses 5-10 offer great hope for God’s people in a coming kingdom. This kingdom will have a highway called the way of holiness. We know Jesus is that way of holiness. He is the way. For He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” The ransomed of the Lord will return to Zion, in the church, and all sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Chapters 36-39 move away from prophecy and give us more history of the period when Isaiah was prophesying. In Chapter 36, in King Hezekiah’s 14th year as ruler, King Sennacherib of Assyria came against Judah and took the cities according to 36:1. The king sent Rabshakeh to tell Hezekiah not to rely on Egypt for deliverance and not to trust in God for deliverance, because it was the Lord who had told Assyria to go up against Judah. The leaders of Judah asked the messenger to speak in the Syrian language so the people would not understand what was being said, but Rabshakeh refused. He wanted the people to hear what he was saying. He told the people not to be deceived by Hezekiah into thinking the Lord would deliver them. He then compared the Lord God to the gods of the other nations and asked if any of them had been able to save their people.
Hezekiah’s messengers brought him the message from King Sennacherib. Hezekiah went straight to the Lord’s house and sent messengers to Isaiah to find help from God. God immediately answered and promised the Assyrians would not bother Judah. God would take care of the problem. He said the Assyrian king would get a report that he needed to go back home and that he would and that he would eventually die by the sword in his own land.
By the time Rabshakeh got back to the king, the king was busy in another battle. Rabshakeh sent a letter to make sure Hezekiah knew he was still on the radar and would soon be destroyed. Hezekiah prayed to God and even spread the letter out before the Lord. He asked God to save Judah from what looked like was going to be destruction by Assyria. Isaiah again sent word to Hezekiah telling him God would take care of the matter. God promised to defend the city and according to 37:35-38, an angel of the Lord went forth and killed 185,000 Assyrians. Sennacherib did not attack and as prophesied, years later as he was worshipping his god, his sons killed him.
In chapter 38 we find Hezekiah had become sick and the Lord sent him word to get his house in order for he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord in verse 2 and in verse 5 Isaiah went to tell him God had heard his prayer and was adding 15 more years to his life. The account of this sickness and recovery and his eventual death is relayed in 2 Kings 20. Then we find him in chapter 39 showing off everything in his kingdom to messengers from Babylon. God was not pleased and sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him everything he had laid in store including his own children would be carried away to Babylon. Hezekiah accepted the verdict and was thankful there would be peace in his last days.
In Part 4 of the Divided Kingdom, we will complete looking at the Prophecy of Isaiah. In this section, we will see more prophecy concerning the new Israel and salvation through the Christ to come.
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