Week Eighteen-Day Two

In Isaiah 30 and following we are dealing with the early part of the 8^th Century B.C. At this time, Egypt had a powerful king and could still flex her muscles throughout the ancient world, especially into the Palestinian region. But Assyria was becoming the preeminent power in the world. Assyria had a stranglehold on the part of the world north and east of Israel and had begun to encroach further and further into the region around the Mediterranean.

Assyria had superior military organization and weaponry, especially in the area of horses and chariots. Egypt had excellent horses by reputation but they had not really been tested against Assyrian cavalry or chariotry. Israel was composed of mountainous and rocky terrain and was not fertile breeding ground for horses, so historically she had very few. This meant that Israel had absolutely no answer for Assyrian chariot forces. She was tempted to believe that she needed Egyptian help. And Israel was tempted to believe that her only choice was to decide between the lesser of evils – this would be Epypt.

Isaiah believed there was another option. He didn’t believe that the key lay in careful diplomacy or in reliance on Egypt. He didn’t believe the key lay in any kind of strategic planning. He believed the key was waiting on God.

As you read chapter 32 it will help to keep in mind Isaiah’s flow. In verses 1 through 8 he is speaking about times of happiness and purity which will follow the defeat of the enemies of God’s people. In verses 9 through 14 he is describing the period of God’s anger and judgment which will come before that happy period. And in verses 15 through 20 he describes a final period of prosperity – he may even be sensing the time of the church after Jesus.

As you read these two chapters from Isaiah, be thinking of the following things:

• What is the Egypt in your life (that on which you tend to rely in crisis – that which you know is unreliable but you rely on because you see no better option)?
• What do these two chapters tell us about God’s activity and character?What images does Isaiah use to describe God?What do the images tell you?

CHAPTER 31

¹ Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. ² Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.
³ But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.

⁴ This is what the LORD says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey—and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. ⁵ Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

⁶ Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. ⁷ For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. ⁸ “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. ⁹ Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

CHAPTER 32

¹ See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. ² Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³ Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. ⁴ The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. ⁵ No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. ⁶ For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the LORD; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.
⁷ Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. ⁸ But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.

⁹ You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say! ¹⁰ In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will fail, and the harvest of fruit will not come. ¹¹ Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags. ¹² Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines ¹³ and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers—yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry. ¹⁴ The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

¹⁵ till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. ¹⁶ The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. ¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

¹⁸ My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. ¹⁹ Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, ²⁰ how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY

1. Revisit the phrases and images from this reading that captured your attention.Allow yourself to dwell on them for a few minutes.What do they mean?What do they say to you?
2. It is not 715 B.C., but human interaction is not very original.We are still struggling with the same kinds of issues as people, as churches, as nations.What application do you sense from today’s reading?
3. Dedicate your day to God.Make sure you are not trusting in ultimately unreliable resources.Make sure that you are waiting on God’s deliverance and His solutions.