Notes on Isaiah 29

(Isa 29:1 KJV) Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

Ariel is another name for Jerusalem. Woe is pronounced upon them because of disobedience to God. Verses 1-8 and verses 17-34 are unfulfilled. Verses 9-16 are fulfilled.

(Isa 29:2 KJV) Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

This part is a warning to all nations that come against Jerusalem. They shall be wiped out completely. This most probably refers to the future battle of Armageddon.

Other nations have surrounded Jerusalem and taken it before but not exactly the way it is pictured here. The Lord sends thunder, earthquakes, storms and a great noise to defeat these armies.

This is pictured in Revelation 16:

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Even though God allows other nations to attack Israel because of her rejection of His word and disobedience and their rejection of Jesus Christ, more woe is pronounced upon those that come against Israel. The enemies of Jerusalem will be brought to nothing according to the scriptures.

(Isa 29:9 KJV) Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
 

This part has already been fulfilled. During the time of Christ, Israel was in deep slumber and they still are. This is a spiritual slumber. In fact all who do not see and understand the word of God and all who do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God and savior of the world are in spiritual darkness.

Those pictured here are in spiritual darkness, not because they have not had the truth preached to them because they were sent prophets, teachers, and even the Lord Jesus Himself. They were in darkness because of pretence. They honored God with their lips but He was not in their hearts. They thought that they did not need repentance because they were the chosen of God through Abraham. They stumbled at the coming of Christ and did not recognize Him at all. They were not looking for a spiritual savior. They were looking for a military leader to deliver them from the Romans and any other natural enemy. They did not understand the message of repentance and salvation and they were offended at Jesus Christ. Jesus was the stone, which the builders rejected. He became the chief cornerstone.

In verse 14 it speaks of a great work being done among them yet they did not see it. This work was the coming of Jesus Christ and the gospel, which was to be the salvation of all that would believe in Him. This gospel was first preached to the Jewish people but was rejected. Through their rejection the gospel was then preached to the Gentiles.

Verse 15 warns of those who seek to hide their evil works from the Lord. He sees all and nothing is hidden from Him. We may appear religious and devoted but he sees all hypocrisy. He sees every heart and every motive. Nothing is hid.

True salvation comes by what is called "the new birth". This is not just ordinary religion or religious rituals and observances. This is a spiritual birth that takes place in the inner being when one exercises faith in Jesus Christ. It is a literal inner change and transformation. The Holy Spirit does it. It is more than just "turning over a new leaf", a New Year's resolution, or a religious act. This is something real, vibrant and eternal. This is something that makes the receiver actually pass from death into life. Old things pass away and all things become new. This is something that is done by the Lord and not just by the will of mankind. Our part is to ask, seek and repent but His part is to save, heal and forgive.

(Isa 29:17 KJV) Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

Verse 17 shows a great change in the whole earth. What was once ruined is turned into a fruitful field. Lebanon is mentioned here as part of latter day prophecy.

(Isa 29:18 KJV) And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

The deaf shall hear the words of God and the eyes of the blind shall be opened. This shall most likely happen literally as well as spiritually. Faith in Christ has literally resulted in the blind and deaf being physically healed but even greater is the spiritual healing that takes place as well. Israel will see spiritually. They will one day recognize their long awaited Messiah. They will see that Jesus whom their forefathers rejected is indeed the very Christ that was promised back in the garden of Eden, promised to Abraham through his son Isaac, and promised by the teaching of Moses.

(Isa 29:19 KJV) The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

The meek shall receive joy in the Lord. Enemies, scoffers and scorners shall be consumed. Iniquity and sin will be cut off.

(Isa 29:21 KJV) That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

22 Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

At last salvation comes to Israel. The promise to Abraham is fulfilled. Those that once erred in spirit and were in spiritual darkness will have their understanding opened.

This will be a great time in the history of the world. All will finally learn the Word of God. There will be no nonsense about separation of church and state. Jesus Christ will rule with no opposition. There will be no ACLU demanding that everything holy and sacred be removed from public property. Of course in that day we probably will not need any symbols of Christianity since we will have Christ Himself with us.

The streets will at last be safe, the will be no war and even the beasts of the earth will not harm anyone. Oh How I long for the Holy One of Israel to come. Even so Come Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 30

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