ISAIAH 33
ISAIAH 33 OPENS WITH...THE LORD DELIVERS ZION
Verse 1...GOD tells ISAIAH....Woe to plundering Assyria.
"Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, you will be plundered; when you make an end of dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you."
Woe to you who plunder...
DID YOU KNOW...This prophecy, spoken BY GOD BEFORE the Assyrian invasion, shows that this seemingly unstoppable army will in fact be stopped. Those who did the plundering will be plundered, and will be dealt with treacherously by others.
AND REMEMBER TOO. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...Jesus spoke of this same principle.
Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with what judgment you judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
IN OTHER WORDS...God has every right to deal with us as we have dealt with others.
Verses 2-4 tells us the prayer of God's people.
"O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; when You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered; and Your plunder shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar; as the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them."
O LORD, be gracious to us...
In light of the Assyrian threat and the longed for deliverance of a righteous king, we NOTICE God's people NO LONGER look to the Egyptians, they NO LONGER TRUST IN THEIR OWN POWER OR LOOK TO THEMSELVES. Now, they look to the LORD, and cry out, "O LORD, be gracious to us."
We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning...God's people aren't trusting in themselves anymore. They are waiting on the LORD, and looking to His arm every morning.
When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered...God's people NOW have a confident expectation in the LORD. Their prayer is filled with wonderful expectancy.
Like the gathering of the caterpillar...
BULTEMA, A WONDROUS CHRISTIAN & HISTORIAN says, "Verse four may already have had an initial fulfillment after the death of the Assyrian soldiers, for undoubtedly the inhabitants of Jerusalem congregated like caterpillars around the corpses and the implements of war."
AS ISAIAH 32 TELLS US, THEY WENT TO BED PREPARING FOR WAR IN THE MORNING, THEY POSTED THE GATEKEEPERS, THE NIGHT WATCH, IN CASE ASSYRIA TRIED A NIGHT ATTACK....BUT NO ONE HEARD A THING. THE DOGS DID NOT BARK, THE WATCHMEN DID NOT SOUND THE ALARM...YET IN THE MORNING, THEY ALL WOKE TO FIND 185,OOO ASSYRIAN SOLDIERS DEAD AROUND THE OUTSKIRTS OF JERUSALEM.
Verses 5-6 tells us of the praise of God's people.
"The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure."
The LORD is exalted...The tough times were hard, but they brought God's people to a different, better view of who He is. Because they have been brought low, when they REFUSED TO TRUST AND DEPEND ON THE GREAT I AM, now that they DO TRUST AND they see that the LORD is exalted.
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness...
God's people pray this in anticipation of the answer. You don't have to wait until God does it all to give Him thanks. You can, by faith, give Him thanks ahead of time, AMEN?
The fear of the LORD is His treasure...
Honor, respect, and reverence towards the LORD is His treasure. It is a gift God gives us, not so we will cower in fear, but so we will rightly honor Him.
Verses 7-9 tells us The LORD's judgment brings the earth low.
"Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man. The earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon is like a wilderness, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits."
Their valiant ones shall cry outside … The earth mourns and languishes...
When the judgment of the LORD comes to the earth, EVERYONE is brought low before Him. The valiant ones shall cry, and the ambassadors of peace - who trusted in other nations instead of the LORD - shall weep bitterly. Even the mighty Lebanon, with her majestic forests of cedar, is shamed and shriveled.
DID YOU KNOW...The Hebrew word translated valiant ones appears only this ONE TIME in the Bible.
"The word ERELLAM, which we translate valiant ones, is very difficult; NO man knows what it means. MOST CHRISTIAN BIBLE SCHOLARS BELIEVE IT IS ONE OF A KIND, USED ONLY ONCE IN THE BIBLE WORD, BECAUSE IT IS THE NAME OF THE ANGEL OF THE LORD THAT KILLED 185,000 SOLDIERS...AND WE KNOW THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, CAN ONLY BE OUR JESUS CHRIST...SO WE MAY NOW HAVE ANOTHER HEBREW WORD USED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT FOR OUR PRECIOUS JESUS....HOW COOL IS THAT?
Verses 10-13 tells us The LORD announces HIS FIRE of judgment.
"Now I will rise," says the LORD; "Now I will be exalted, now I will lift Myself up. You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire. Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might."
Now I will rise...As the whole earth is brought low by the judgment of the LORD, at the same time, the LORD lifts Himself up.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER, THOUGH WE CAN NOT SEE IT, ALL OF THE SUPERNATURAL CAN AND DOES...IMAGINE THE SHOUTS OF PRAISE IN THE HEAVENS AND THE SCREAMING, KNEE-KNOCKING TERROR OF SATAN AND HIS DEMONS UNDER THE EARTH...WHEN THE LORD RISES FROM HIS THRONE.
And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire...
God's judgment will come like fire, and the wicked and worthless works of man will be like chaff and stubble that is quickly and ferociously burned in the fire.
AND DID YOU KNOW..TO LIME...TO THROW LIME ON A FIRE...INCREASES THE HEAT, THE INTENSITY, AND THE SPEED WITH WHICH IT SPREADS AND CONSUMES?
Verses 14-19 tells us of Fearful sinners and blessed saints.
"The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: he will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will see the land that is very far off. Your heart will meditate on terror: "Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?" You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech, beyond perception, of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand."
The sinners in Zion are afraid...
Of course they are! The judgment of the LORD is coming! Those who were not afraid to practice their sin are now afraid when righteous judgment comes upon their sin.
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly … He will dwell on high...
Though the sinners and hypocrites are terrified at the coming judgment of the LORD, the LORD's righteous ones are comforted that God is coming to set things right.
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty...
The LORD will bless His righteous ones. They will have a place of defense, a fortress, and bread and water will not fail them. But far above these material blessings, they will see the King in His beauty. In the most immediate sense, this referred to Hezekiah; but in the ultimate sense, to our Beautiful Savior Jesus, AMEN?
Beyond all the material glory, splendor, and comfort of heaven, this is the greatest glory of heaven: not to be personally glorified, but TO SEE the King in His beauty.
DID YOU KNOW, ALMIGHTY GOD IS THE ONLY ONE, THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE WHO SPEAKS OF HIS PRECIOUS SON JESUS CHRIST AS BEAUTIFUL? HOW HE LOVES AND IS PLEASED WITH HIS SON, AMEN?
I WATCHED BETH MOORE ONCE, WHILE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT HEAVEN & OUR ETERNAL HOME WITH A GROUP OF OTHER CHRISTIAN SPEAKERS...SHE SAID, "HEAVEN WILL BE HOME...WILL BE WONDROUS AND AMAZING BECAUSE JESUS WILL BE THERE...BUT TO OUR JESUS....HEAVEN WILL BE WONDROUS AND AMAZING...BECAUSE WE WILL FINALLY BE HOME WITH HIM!"
AND YOU NOTICE....It isn't only seeing the King; it is seeing Him in His beauty. It can be said that we occasionally catch a "glimpse" of our King Jesus, and even sometimes have a glance at His beauty. But the highest experience we could have now is like nothing compared to what we will experience when we see the King in His beauty.
REMEMBER WHAT Paul said of our present walk, IN 1 CORINTHIANS 13:12. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."
Today, when we look in a good mirror, the image is clear. But in the ancient world, mirrors were made out of polished metal, and the image was always unclear and somewhat distorted. We see Jesus now only in a dim, unclear way, but one-day we will see Him with perfect clarity.
AND WE KNOW Heaven is precious to us for many reasons.
We long to be with loved ones who have passed before us and whom we miss so dearly.
We long to be with the great men and women of God who have passed before us in centuries past.
We want to walk the streets of gold, see the pearly gates, see the angels round the throne of God worshipping Him day and night.
However, none of those things, precious as they are, make heaven really "heaven."
What makes heaven really heaven is the unhindered, unrestricted, presence of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and to see the King in His beauty will be the greatest experience of your eternal existence, AMEN?
Part of the beauty of the King in heaven will be the scars He retains from His suffering for our sake on this earth.
After Jesus rose from the dead in His glorified body, His body uniquely retained the nail prints in His hands and the scar on his side told to us in John 20:24-29.
REMEMBER In Zechariah 12:10, Jesus speaks prophetically of the day when the Jewish people, turned to Him, see Him in glory:
"Then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."
Zechariah 13:6 continues the thought...
"And one will say to him, "What are these wounds between your arms?" Then he will answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."
THE NAIL SCARRED HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS AND THE SPEAR WOUND SCAR IN HIS SIDE...WILL REMAIN THROUGH HIS 1000 YEARS REIGN ON EARTH AS A SILENT TESTAMENT TO THE PRICE HE PAID FOR MANKIND...BUT ONE SWEET DAY, AFTER THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT IS OVER, AND ALMIGHTY GOD MAKES ALL THINGS NEW...THE NAIL SCARRED HANDS, FEET, AND SIDE OF OUR PRECIOUS JESUS WILL DISAPPEAR....FOREVER.
Your heart will meditate on terror...
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
The revealing of the King will be the greatest GLORY for the child of God, but it will be greatest TERROR for the one who has set their heart against or apart from God.
In vain, they will look to the scribe or he who weighs or he who counts the towers for help, but there will be none.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
IN THAT DAY, AND DURING THE END TIMES, THE REJECTING WILL LOOK TO THEIR RELIGIOUS LEADERS (SCRIBES) WHO HAVE LIED, DECEIVED, AND TWISTED GOD'S WORD FOR HELP...AND THERE WILL BE NONE.
THEY WILL LOOK TO THEIR BANKERS/JUDGES, (HE WHO WEIGHS) THEIR WEALTH TO GET THEM OUT OR PAY THEM OUT OF THIS SITUATION....AND THERE WILL BE NO HELP.
THEY WILL LOOK TO THEIR CIVIC LEADERS/GOVERNMENTS/MILITARY (HE WHO COUNTS THE TOWERS) TO PROTECT THEM FROM GOD...AND THERE WILL BE NO HELP!
You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech...
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Though the northern nation of Israel was demolished by the Assyrians (a people of obscure speech, beyond perception), the southern nation of Judah would be delivered (you will not see). Isaiah mixes the pictures of the LORD's ultimate deliverance on the day of judgment, and the soon coming deliverance from the Assyrians.
ONCE AGAIN THE LORD IS SPEAKING TO AND PROPHESYING THE NEAR (THE ASSYRIANS) AND THE FAR (THE TRIBULATION/GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT) OF REJECTING MANKIND.
Verses 20-24 tells us Zion is delivered and blessed.
"Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down; not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the majestic LORD will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by (For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us); your tackle is loosed, they could not strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; the lame take the prey. And the inhabitant will not say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity."
Look upon Zion … your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation...
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
In the midst of the Assyrian threat, God will preserve Jerusalem. Not one of its stakes will ever be moved!
WE KNOW THEY HAVE TRIED DOWN THROUGH TIME, AND TODAY THEY STILL TRY TO MOVE THE OWNERSHIP STAKES AND LINES OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL...BUT THEN AND NOW....GOD PROPHESIED AND PROMISED THAT NOT ONE OF ITS STAKES WILL EVERRRRRRRR BE MOVED!
A place of broad rivers and streams...
GOD PROMISES HIS BLESSINGS on Zion would bring broad rivers and streams to this once barren, desert land.
But wouldn't a wide river give a path to an enemy coming on a ship? No, because there the majestic LORD will be for us … no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by. For the LORD is our Judge … He will save us.
Those majestic ships turned out to be not so majestic after all. Your tackle is loosed, they could not strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail. It was foolish to ever fear the majestic ships instead of trusting the majestic LORD.
Although they shall have from God the security of a great river, yet they shall be freed from the disadvantage of it; which is, that the enemies may come against them in ships; for no galleys nor ships of the enemy's shall be able to come into this river to annoy them.
The lame take the prey … the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity...
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
When God saves, He does it in UNLIKELY ways. It is an unexpected blessing that the lame take the prey. It is an unexpected blessing that people can be forgiven their iniquity. The majestic LORD brings unexpected blessing!
ALMIGHTY GOD IS SAYING TO EACH OF US...LOOK THROUGH MY WORD, ALL THE HEROES AND HEROINES AND GREAT PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE WERE...NOBODYS UNTIL I TOUCHED THEM...AND MADE THEM GREAT.
ARE YOU LAME, BLIND, DEAF, DUMB, MALE, FEMALE, CHILD, ADULT, EDUCATED, ILLITERATE, RICH, POOR, A FOREIGNER, BLACK, WHITE, RED, OR YELLOW IN SKIN...BLUE BLOODS, OR COMMON STOCK...NO MATTER.
THE WORLD, MAN, AND SATAN....WANT TO PUT LABELS ON YOU.
THE WORLD, MAN, AND SATAN...WANT TO PUT YOU IN A BOX.
THE WORLD, MAN, AND SATAN...WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN NOT ACCOMPLISH...BECOME...BE...HAVE.
THE WORLD, MAN, AND SATAN...ARE LIMITED IN WHAT THEY CAN DO AND BE AND HAVE.
BUT I...I AM THE GREAT I AM, I AM THE ALPHA AND OMEGA...THE BEGINNING AND THE END.
WITH MY BLESSING, MY PROTECTION, MY GUIDANCE, MY FAVOR, MY LOVE, AND MY TOUCH UPON YOUR LIFE...YOU CAN AND WILL BECOME OVERCOMERS....UNSTOPPABLE...BRIGHT LIGHTS...ABLE TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.