Author: Scott Walter

We all pursue comfort in some form or fashion. Comfort is not inherently bad or evil. However, if we are not proactively careful, comfort will naturally pull us away from God who calls us to consistently pursue discomfort for the sake of His Kingdom. When we get too comfortable, often we slip into more sin. When we slip into more sin, we naturally descend into more and more debauchery all the while becoming more and more numb to the Holy Spirit.

Then, eventually, our lives begin to fall apart. We look around and ask, “How did I get here?” Maybe you’ve been there, maybe you know someone who has, or maybe this is you right now. How did we (the world) get here (how the world currently looks around us)? Every day there is news of sin, debauchery, and evil that directly produces fear, anxiety, and sadness.

You are probably reading this on a phone, laptop, tablet, or some other form of technology that did not exist until recently. If you look around, we have more access to more comforts than any other human in history. However, we are looking more like the Egyptians in Isaiah 19 every day. “Egyptians against Egyptians…city against city…kingdom against kingdom…rivers dry and parched…branches of Egypt’s Nile diminished and dried up…workers in despair…pillars of the land crushed…” and the list goes on and on.

In those days, the Nile was the source of life and of comfort for the Egyptians. With the Nile dried up, so did comfort and provision. What is your Nile? Your investments? Your job? Your relationship? It may seem like these aspects of your life are drying up like the Nile. The comfort they once provided is drying up as well. So, what do we do? Do we run to another worldly comfort that will dry up? Another Nile? Or do we run to the One who provides living water and eternal comfort?

When all that is temporary begins to show that it is indeed temporary, it should serve as a reminder to run to the only thing that is eternal: Jesus. At the end of Isaiah 19, we see that Egypt will eventually repent and find the life they were looking for all along. Instead of turning to other temporary pleasures and provisions, they create “an altar to the Lord and a pillar to the Lord at its border.” When they do this, the Lord promises that “He will send them a Savior and Defender and deliver them…and make Himself known.” As we read this, we know that the savior is Jesus, who was the same then as He is today. 

Turn to Him. He will make Himself known. He is not a hidden, dead god. He is a fully revealed, alive God who fully knows and loves you.

As we read through Isaiah 18, we read a prophecy of the balance of hope and judgment. Although men (like Isaiah) are speaking out warnings against the people of Israel, it is clear that the heart of the message is the Lord’s. When reading this passage, we can be encouraged knowing that the Lord is extremely powerful and aware. His omniscience is evident through the fact that He knows his creation. Nothing is hidden from Him! We can trust his timing and His guidance when He instructs us to take a step in faith. 

Sometimes, that step in faith could be patience and endurance through a tough time in our lives, knowing that God desires to protect and love His people. This passage establishes a relationship between the Creator and His creation. He is asking us to trust Him, and we can see His wisdom and protection, as well as his patience in acting. God is inviting us to trust Him in every season, specifically the seasons that appear hopeless and barren. 

We can read this passage and grow our trust in the Lord, knowing that He is extremely transparent in his communication with His people. Isaiah serves as an announcer, or a forerunner, of God’s plan for the people that is meant to instill hope for the future. Verse four also helps us see into God’s character, because He is slow to act, and does not act on emotion like we tend to do. He cares about his people and, although He is a just God, His promise of restoration and hope is something we can lean on today. Sometimes we begin to think that evil will prevail in our life, but we can be encouraged by this passage knowing that God will execute His judgment on every spectrum in the end.

Sometimes, it can feel like everything around us is in flux. This can be extremely frustrating and disorienting (especially when we finally start to feel settled), and we can imagine the Israelites felt this in some sense as well. Isaiah 18 presents the hope of the refining process of the Lord, in that God is stopping a seemingly good thing for an even better thing in the future. Be encouraged knowing that God wants us to be planted in Him and bear healthy fruit instead of the fruits of this world. 

Isaiah 17 is a prophecy of the judgment and ruin that is to come in the city Damascus, which is the capital of Syria (also called “Aram”). During this time, the people of Damascus and Israel, (referenced by its dominant tribe Ephraim), shared a border and were closely working together against the southern kingdom of Judah and to resist Assyria. The Assyrian empire was extremely powerful, and Judah (ruled by King Ahaz) refused to join a coalition against them. We see in chapter 7, that King Ahaz rejects Isaiah’s counsel not to fear Israel and Syria and instead offers treasures to the king of Assyria in exchange for protection from them (2 Kings 16:5-9). The king of Assyria responded to this by capturing Damascus in 732 BC, along with Israel in 722 BC. The Assyrians were God’s instrument of wrath against the Israelites (Isaiah 10:5).

The destruction of Damascus was correlated to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. In verse 3, it says, “The fortress disappears from Ephraim, and a kingdom from Damascus.” This passage has a dual fulfillment prophecy, meaning there is prophecy that has been fulfilled and there is prophecy that is waiting to be fulfilled. The Assyrians conquered Damascus, but it still remains to be a city today and it is one of the oldest cities in the world. The prophecy of Damascus will ultimately be fulfilled in future judgment. 

Damascus being destroyed is in essence taking away Israel’s fortress and protection, a place where they were finding security and peace. The destruction would lead the Israelites to have no choice but to look to “their Maker” and “turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel”. It would cause them not to “look to the altars they made with their hands” or to the “shrines they made with their fingers” (v. 7-8). Israel had forgotten they were the people of God. They had forgotten who they belonged to. They had forgotten that the Lord was their true fortress and Savior. They had forgotten that their only protection would be found in their Maker. They had forgotten the God of their salvation and the rock of their strength (v. 10). 

We too, can forget where our security comes from. We can try to find peace in places it was not meant to be found. We can look for things in this world to find protection, but they will ultimately fail us. We need to remind ourselves that God is our refuge and strength, and our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). He gives us peace, not as the world gives, so that our heart doesn’t have to be troubled (John 14:27). We can find safety in His name, which is a fortified tower (Proverbs 18:10). Through the protection and strength that comes from the Lord, there is nothing that we can’t walk through because He is with us. Let us look to our Maker today; our peace and our security are on the other side of our trust in Him. 

In chapter 16, Isaiah continues his prophecy concerning Moab. In Isaiah 16:6, we finally get some insight into what the Moabites sin was. It says “We have heard of Moab’s pride—how great is her arrogance!—of her conceit, her pride and her insolence; but her boasts are empty.” Moab was a fairly small nation. Historians conclude that it was probably only 60 miles from north to south and 20 miles from east to west. This was significantly smaller than the thousands upon thousands of miles of land ruled by larger kingdoms such as the Assyrians and Babylonians. Yet, what does Isaiah tell us was the sin responsible for the judgment of this seemingly small and insignificant nation? Pride.

We tend to associate the sin of pride with people who are great and famous, but as we heed Isaiah’s prophecy to Moab, we are reminded that pride can take root even where we don’t expect it. Pastor David Guzik points out that “the seemingly small can be just as consumed with pride as the great.” Despite its size, Moab had rich agricultural resources and we can conclude that the Moabites became prideful and arrogantly consumed with their agricultural success. The New Living Translation of Isaiah 16:8 says “The farms of Heshbon are abandoned; the vineyards at Sibmah are deserted. The rulers of the nations have broken down Moab— that beautiful grapevine.” God destroyed what the Moabites took pride in. 

Proverbs 16:5 says “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” As a result of the Moabites’ pride and unrepentant hearts, Isaiah is telling them that the Lord will in fact punish them. Moab was a rival nation to Israel, but instead of pointing a finger and telling them they were getting what they deserved, take note of Isaiah’s response in verse 11. “My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.” Both the prophet and the Lord are deeply grieved over the judgment that Moab will receive. 

This is an important lesson for us to learn as believers: we should feel genuine sorrow over the miseries that come upon people because of their sin. Proverbs 24:17 says “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,” May we learn from the prophecy of Isaiah to Moab to be aware of the sin of pride in our lives and the powerful destruction that it can cause. And may we realize that we serve a sympathetic God who is grieved by the consequences we suffer as a result of those sins.  

The burden of Moab, which stretches through chapter 15 and 16 is one in a series of messages concerning the Gentile nations that surrounded Israel. For many of these tribes and countries, it meant a punishment and being permanently wiped out as a civilization, and for others it came as a judgment, restoration, and reappearance at a later time. The prosperous nation of Moab, which was a tribe formed by the offspring of Lot’s relationship with his daughter, is the object of Isaiah’s message in this chapter. We see the need for God’s judgment as they worshiped the idol god, Chemosh, and according to Jeremiah 48:29 (and even in the next chapter of Isaiah), “We have heard of Moab’s pride – how great is her arrogance! — of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.”

In chapter 16, we learn that the punishment of Moab is finite and near, but the most remarkable aspect of this passage falls on verse 5, when the heart of God “cries out over Moab”. We see that although God’s judgment is always decisive and complete, he does not rejoice in punishing His people, even towards those who deserve it. David said of God in Psalm 103:10 that “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” God is slow to bring judgment, and even when that time comes, we see God’s tenderness towards His creation. And for the Moabites, the plan of God for Moab culminates in the next chapter with Isaiah’s ultimate messianic prophecy: “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it.”

In fact, the mercy of God does not just extend to those who love Him. Matthew 5:45 says that “He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” In that agrarian society, He gave sunshine and rain to those who loved Him and those who despised Him in equal portions. As believers today, we can be sure that there will be an exacting judgment on the wicked one day, but He calls us to be generous, slow to anger, and loving to our enemies out of our love of God’s intentional creation and our ultimate belief in His sovereign purpose.

Reading through this passage, we see a full picture of God’s character on display. Sometimes we shy away from passages like this because it shows how just God the Father is. This was before Jesus came to pay for the evil and sin in the world so, like the rest of the Old Testament, it is full of God judging evil and can be quite off-putting to us. However, it is a good reminder that He is completely and totally good. and therefore He cannot tolerate evil. Digging into the beginning of Isaiah 14 also shows us a few different things:

• God is compassionate towards his people (v. 1): “For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will choose Israel again.”
• God loves a redemption story (v. 1). He will choose Israel again!
• He is a God of peace; He wants us to feel rested and settled (v. 1). He will settle them on their own land. 
• He enjoys giving His people nice things and His way is something to be desired (v. 1). The resident aliens or strangers will see what God’s people have and want it 
• He is an avenger (not the Marvel kind, the perfect kind). God turns the people into slaves that once had His people as slaves (v. 2) 

 And that is just in the first two verses of this chapter! If we continued to put a magnifying glass up to each sentence of this chapter, we could see dozens of instances of God’s character in this chapter alone. As we see throughout Isaiah (and all throughout scripture), justice is important to God. Imagine if we not only read our Bibles looking for God’s character, but we lived our lives like that. What if we were on the lookout for Him everywhere? We can see Him in the sunset, in the trees, in His beautiful people, in how He wired each of us, and so much more! 

In this chapter, Isaiah is given the prophecy of Babylon’s downfall. This prophecy goes into very specific detail. This isn’t a fortune cookie prophecy that is purposefully vague so that it will always be true. When the people eventually witness the prophecy come to fruition, they will know it came from the Lord without room for doubt. At the time, Judah’s people might have been confused as to the exact significance of this prophecy as they had yet to discover that the Baylonians were going to conquer their people, take them out of their land, and bring them into exile at Babylon. This is understandable since this event will not occur until about 60 years later. What is even more mysterious to the people of Judah is the mention of Medes. 

According to the Enduring Word commentary, this prophecy is made decades before Babylon defeated Assyria and became a superpower, and it will be even longer until the Medes rebel against Babylon. However, despite the decades between the prophecy and the first fulfillment of the prophecy, it all came true. Many times we hear “How can there be a God, when _________ exists in the world?” When one witnesses the fulfillment of a prophecy like this one, it evokes an even stronger reaction of “How can there not be a God, when His prophecies like this are fulfilled by His prophets?” 

Furthermore, when prophecies like this one bring us to the conclusion or confirmation that God exists and is supreme over everything, it should make us fearfully realize how important sin is to God. This whole passage of Isaiah 13 goes into gruesome detail of the punishment of “sinners” stemming from God’s “wrath.” His wrath against this city is thorough stating that “she will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations” (v. 20). This is even more impressive and significant when you realize how important Babylon is! Babylon is mentioned 287 times in the Bible (more than any other city except Jerusalem). Babylon is the embodiment of those opposed to God. This can be seen in Revelation 17:5-7 (and many other places throughout scripture).

Merrill Tenney, a twentieth century New Testament scholar, in his book Interpreting Revelation says, “Babylon, to them (the Jews), was the essence of all evil, the embodiment of cruelty, the foe of God’s people, and the lasting type of sin, carnality, lust and greed.” Ultimately, we can expect to be treated likewise for our sin when judgment day comes if it weren’t for Jesus. ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!

Towards the end of this section of Isaiah highlighting Israel’s choice between trusting in God or trusting in Assyria, we’re met with two short songs of praise. This brief chapter reads like something we could expect to find in the book of Psalms, not in the midst of one of the major prophets. But there’s a reason this quick psalm is placed here! Isaiah is trying to make a point: These are songs of gratitude to be sung by the faithful remnant on “that day”–a reference to when all is right and Israel’s relationship with God is restored and the Messiah is reigning. 

Reading through these songs, there are reminders that we can meditate on and apply to our own lives as follow Jesus even though we’re reading this passage through a different lens than Isaiah’s original audience. First, we need to daily remind ourselves that God is our salvation (v. 2). Our salvation doesn’t come from our good works, our reputations, or the money in our bank accounts. It’s a free gift that we received because God loved us enough to send Jesus. While we may be tempted to go searching for satisfaction or comfort or safety elsewhere, it’s truly only going to come from God and God alone.

The second reminder for us today comes in verses 4-5:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

    make known among the nations what he has done,

    and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

    let this be known to all the world.”

In the same way that the remnant of Israel were instructed to “proclaim his name” and “make known among the nations what he has done”, we have the exact same call on our lives. We are to carry the Good News of Jesus with us as we go about our daily lives (Matthew 28:19-20) as Christ’s ambassadors here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are called to carry the Gospel forward with hearts of gratitude for what He has done for us (and for the world). Let’s be people that do exactly that today. 

Anytime a wildfire destroys a forest, there is opportunity for regrowth. Isaiah 10 ended with the prophecy of God cutting down the proud as if they were mighty trees. In Isaiah 11, the Lord now looks over a barren forest full of stumps and ripe for the opportunity for regrowth. Out of those stumps, a branch emerges. But this is not simply a tinder branch, but one that is full, filled with life and hope. Even the declaration that this Messiah will come from the stump of Jesse, a humble man of much less significance than his son (King David), points to the humility of Jesus (v. 1). 

Isaiah 11 points to what life will look like under the Messiah’s reign and His restored Kingdom that is to come. The perfect character of the Messiah is described: His delight is in the fear of the Lord, he judges with righteousness, he has the power to cast judgment on the wicked, and righteousness shall be the belt of his loins (v. 4-5). These qualities are mirror images of God’s character. 

There is a comfort that can be found in this chapter, because in the midst of revolutionary change there is also incredible hope. This hope is the casting out of the wicked, and rebirth of a strong nation that is deeply rooted in the spiritual empowerment of the Messiah. This passage also points to a day where all people–both Jews and Gentiles–will live under the sovereign reign of the Messiah. Paul references this in Romans where he says that “The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him” (15:12). God’s plan has always been for all people to be reconciled back to Him. 

Just as this was a message of hope for the people of Isaiah’s time, we too, can look forward to the day where God reconciles all things back to Himself. As followers of Jesus, we have a hope that is like “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). We need to consistently remind ourselves of this hope, and that this life is as bad as it will ever get. There is a day coming where everything will be at peace again, much like the scene we read about in this chapter (v. 6-9). Let’s cling on to this hope today.