Isaiah 29-31

Isaiah 29

Setting: Jerusalem during the Assyrian threat (late 8th century BC)

“Ariel” (אֲרִיאֵל) – Jerusalem

• Literally “lion of God” or “altar hearth”
• Judgment imagery: Siege, humiliation, voice “from the dust”
  • Jerusalem assumes they are protected 
  • God disciplines His own city first

Nations described as dust, chaff- they are many

God intervenes: “Suddenly, in an instant” (v.5)

Spiritual blindness: Prophets, seers, wise men

• Scroll imagery
  • Learned: “I cannot, it is sealed”
  • Unlearned: “I cannot read”
• Hearts are hardened
  • “This people draw near with their mouth… while their hearts are far from me”

Empty worship: “Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD”

• Pottery metaphor: Clay questioning the potter
• Worship is reduced to speech, the people do not trust God

Reversal themes

• Lebanon to fruitful field
• Deaf to hear
• Blind to see
• Humble rejoice and the ruthless vanish

God will reaffirm His covenant with Israel 

Isaiah 30

Judah considers alliance with Egypt to resist Assyria. These plans are made without seeking God. 

They are described as : “Children unwilling to hear”

• Plans “not of my Spirit”

Egypt as Empty Help

• Dangerous journey through the Negev
• Egypt named:“Rahab who sits still”
  • רַהַב (rahab)  chaos monster 

People demand: “Speak to us smooth things”. They rather have comforting lies than the truth. 

Because of their broken trust we get collapse imagery: Cracked wall, sudden ruin

• Military irony: Five flee a thousand
• Human strength collapses without God

God delays judgment and extends mercy.  He will restore His people. 

• No more weeping
• Teacher no longer hidden
• He will be with us. 

He reminds His people to put away their idols. When this happens, God will send abundant blessings – rain, food, plentiful, rivers, light.

God will judge Assyria

• Fire, breath, shaking
• Topheth  תֹּפֶת (tōphet) – a place of garbage and fire. Probably named after drums (תֹּף (tōph) = drum) as they drowned out children’s cries during horrific sacrifices. 

Isaiah 31

Judah relies on military instead of on God

• Flesh vs. Spirit – flesh will always fail without God. 

The Lord is Zion’s diefender

• Lion over prey
• Birds hovering

God will spare Jerusalem (פָּסַח (pāsaḥ) – passover) 

God calls us to repent and abandon their idols. Assyria will fall and God will conquer. 

• “His fire is in Zion”

Application:

Chapter 29-31 have similar themes. They are asking us to come out of our spiritual blindness and turn to God. So many times we put false hope into things that do not matter and cannot save us. We may still worship God, but our words are empty. We may still do all the ‘right things’ but fail to put God at the center of our worship. The moment we realize we need a divine God , then maybe we can take away our reliance on human strength.