Isaiah 29:13-24
Isa 29:13
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:
Here is an example of the hypocritical frame of minds
those in Judah had. They were just
like many false Christians today who go to church and perform all the rituals
and say all the right things but they are doing it from a duplicitous mindset.
The people in Judah had removed their hearts far from the true God.
That is, they removed them and nobody else so they are responsible for
the actions they took and the consequences of those actions.
Then the level of fear they had toward God was not taught according to
the scriptures but according to the teachings and systems of men.
In other words, like today, they created God in their own image so this
way the people would not fear and the false teachers could then re-invent God
according to their own beliefs and limit his ability and desire to judge thus
relieving any fear that God would judge.
Ezekiel commented on the same attitude he saw in Judah.
And they come unto thee as the
people cometh, and they sit before thee
as my people, and they hear thy
words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love,
but their heart goeth after
their covetousness. (Ezekiel 33:31)
Isa 29:14
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.
Based upon their false teachings and understanding of
God, he will now do a marvellous work among them.
The word “marvellous” may be understood as “causing the extraordinary.”
This work will astonish the people because they will not expect such
things to happen to them. Since
they decided to remove their hearts from God which would include rejecting the
truth of the scriptures, those who have made up new teachings to appease the
people will perish along with all their wisdom.
Their understanding or their knowledge will also perish because it was
false knowledge. This particular verse is also quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians.
For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the
prudent. (1 Corinthians 1:19)
Those who are wise in
this world, those who hold the big degrees in the fields of science and
behavioral sciences, and those who are wise and secure in their own talents or
positions, will have all their defenses against the truth of Christ destroyed on
Judgment Day. Their worldly apologetics will not be any defense at their final
trial. We read in Romans 1:22.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:22) The
worldly person believes they have all the answers in their textbooks and
philosophies. As they rage against Christians in the world, their mouth will be
stopped and they will then see that all their wisdom was in vain. Once they
stand before Christ, they will know they were wrong.
Isa 29:15
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?
Then on the tail of false beliefs and teachings, they
believe that they can hide their works from the LORD.
Since they have made a new image for God they did not take into account
the fact that God is omniscient which means “all knowing.”
The fact that anyone chooses to hide their beliefs from God shows that
they indeed have no understanding of God’s capabilities.
If he knows our thoughts, don’t you think he can hear our attempted
conspiracies? There is
a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening
the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious
things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. (Ezekiel 22:25)
Like today, do those who planned 9/11 and brought down the Twin Towers
think they hid their conspiracy from God?
Do they think they got away with it?
Every evil conspiracy which has been formed on this earth will be brought
to light on Judgment Day.
Isa 29:16
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?
As with the typical arrogance of man they tend to reverse
reality and create their own reality.
Basically man tends to reinvent the order of things.
They will become so blinded to reality that they will begin to proclaim
that they are not the clay but they are the potter.
They will claim that it was not God who made them.
Then they will claim that God had no understanding in the matter of
creation. They will also claim that
God does not have the understanding to reign in the affairs of the people he
created. It is like those today who
cling to evolution and claim that there was no creator but they evolved through
millions of years and therefore are the masters of their own destinies.
Isa 29:17
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?
Here we read that God is going to make Lebanon a fruitful
field and that fruitful field will become so thick it will be like a forest.
What is in view here is another prophecy about how God is going to eject
the rebellious Jews of Judah and is going to call the Gentiles to the truth of
the gospel. The Jews were once the
protected people of God but now because of their rebellion they had lost all the
privileges that go with the calling.
This will be fulfilled in the time of Christ.
Therefore say I unto you, The
kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43)
Isa 29:18
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.
Then in that day the deaf who are the Elect of God will
hear the words of the book which is the scriptures.
The word “hear” carries with it the meaning of “hearing with
understanding” which means their spiritual ears will be open in contrast to the
spiritual deafness of the unbeliever. Then
in like manner those who are the Elect of God will also see out of “obscurity”
which carries with it the meaning of “darkness or gloom.”
They will see and understand when the prophecies of Isaiah will come to
pass in contrast to those who were steeped in false religion.
18 The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power, (Ephesians 1:18-19)
This will come to pass more fully when the gospel will be preached
worldwide.
Isa 29:19
The meek also shall increase their joy in the
LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Then those who are the meek which represents the poor,
needy and humble, normally those who have no influence in this world will go
from becoming a meek person to a child of God through the gospel.
To become saved in this world, even if a person is of no reputation
places them higher in rank than those who run countries or corporations.
There will be a rejoicing in them because they now have hope whereas
before they got saved, their only hope was in this world which had failed them
but now they have been raised as children of God, even though their worldly
situation does not change. Joy is
one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Galatians 5:22)
Isa 29:20
For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the
scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:
Then Isaiah briefly tells them that Sennacherib and the
Assyrians will be brought to nothing as they will be defeated themselves by the
Babylonians. This verse goes a
little deeper than just Sennacherib.
It is ultimately speaking about Satan who has some authority at present
but he will be brought to nothing on the last day when he is thrown into the
lake of fire. Those scorners who
had mocked Christ and those who mocked the Christians throughout the ages shall
be consumed in everlasting damnation.
Those who sought opportunities to do evil against the truth of the gospel
will be cut off, that is, they will face a final judgment.
Judgments are prepared for
scorners, and stripes for the back of fools. (Proverbs 19:29)
Isa 29:21
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.
The one who reproved in the gate were those who were the
honest magistrates, the priests, and the prophets who would be by the gate of
the city and would reprove those who were caught in some kind of violation of
the law of God. There would be men
who would make an attempt to intentionally twist their word and make the people
think that they were doing criminal activities so they could be removed from
their positions and no doubt would be replaced with those who were the puppets
of the rich and powerful who will persecute the innocent and exonerate the
guilty.
Isa 29:22
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.
The LORD here makes it plain that he was the one who
redeemed Abraham, that is, has saved him for all eternity and now speaks about
the house of Jacob which here would be referring to the body of believers.
All the promises that God made to Abraham will come to pass especially
the fact that even though there is a faction in Judah which are unbelievers,
there is also a faction in Judah which are believers and through the line of
believers will come the Messiah through the tribe of Judah.
In this verse the scriptures are just using Jacob in the present tense as
if he is looking over the whole situation and has waxed pale or blushed in shame
because of what is going on.
Despite these problems, all the promises of God will be fulfilled and his face
shall not blush.
Isa 29:23
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.
Here is a prophecy of the redeemed church of God within
the nation of Israel. There were
those who had departed from the true God and those people had placed themselves
in a higher position than God seeing themselves as the potter.
Once the people among them who are the elect of God, they will once again
sanctify or set apart their hearts for the worship of the true God.
They will once again reverence his holy name and show true fear of God as
they understand what is happening all around them.
But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1
Peter 3:15) Sanctifying the
LORD God in the believer’s heart is not just for those saved in the Old
Testament but is for all true believers no matter when they have become saved.
Isa 29:24
They also that erred in spirit shall come to
understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.