ISAIAH
Prophecies concerning the Nations
The judgments and releases and misfortunes
TO BE REVISED
The siege of Jerusalem (29)
At the beginning of Chapter 28 Samaria was symbolized by a Crown of wilted flowers. In this chapter a "ai" is pronounced against Jerusalem, symbolized by "Ariel".
The Hebrew word ariel can both mean "Lion of God", as "fire God". In verse 9 the Lord claims to have your fire and furnace (fireplace) there. Also in Ezekiel 43:15.16, ariel is the altar hearth of God.
The privileged city of Jerusalem was where David had his headquarters. The people went there to follow his formal religious routines, year after year, but God would bring so great distress to the city that she would become in just a ariel. The city out of God would become comparable to one altar on fire and his people in sacrificial victims. The Lord would allow his enemies acampassem around, and even raised bulwarks and junk to besiege it, in order to stifle and silence its inhabitants.
But in a moment, suddenly, God will intervene and the crowd of his enemies will be expelled as fine dust and chaff. When the enemies think devouring Jerusalem completely, they will be frustrated and awake as if from a dream. The liberation of Jerusalem is guaranteed. All Nations rising against it will be reduced to nothing under the mighty hand of God.
The obstinacy of the rulers, psychics and influential people had brought upon the people a sleepy and spiritual blindness. The revealed will of God became like a letter or book sealed, so that even if someone could understand the writing he couldn't open it, and even if it were open and handed to an illiterate man to read he would have to refuse because of their inability to understand the words.
By their religion to be foreign and only his only fear of God a matter of creeds memorized, God will hold a supernatural work of judgment, except for wisdom and discernment of the sharpest minds. Mere worship and external compliance while the heart is alienated, obeying only to the precept of men, should result in the loss of wisdom of the elders and in hiding the clear understanding. The same State of affairs prevailed when Christ was on Earth (Matthew 16:3, mark 7:6).
Then we have another "there", this time against those who foolishly seek to hide its purpose, as if he was not its creator and know them much better than themselves. They thought they had no need for God, they could act without his knowledge, as if an artifact could deny being the work of its creator. Such is the absurd attitude of all those who seek to act independently of God.
A day of liberation would come when God will also reverse things. The Lebanon, which was a wild forest, will be turned into a fruitful field, and what was considered a fertile field will be seen as nothing more than a wood. So the deaf hear and the blind see the words of the book, the meek will have more joy in the Lord, and the poor will rejoice in the Holy one of Israel. On the other hand, the oppressor is removed, the scoffer will cease to exist, the wicked and the unjust will be removed.
This, and the following will no doubt refer to the next millennial Kingdom of Christ which is the "Holy one of Israel", the Son of God (see Isaiah 61:1, Zephaniah 3:12, Matthew 5:3-5 and HERE).
The following verses (22 to 24) describe the remnant of the Israelites, believer, here named Jacob (Romans 11:26). The shame and disgrace of the nation will be a thing of the past. The sons of Jacob will realize how Jesus Christ intervened on their behalf and they will sanctify his name, and to fear him to finally identify it as the God of Israel. The "wrong in spirit" will have understanding of the reality of his person, and those who complained against him will be instructed to learn the truth.
R David Jones
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1 "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as Ariel.
3 I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, And I will raise siegeworks against you.
4 You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium's, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.
5 "Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, it shall be in an instant, suddenly.
6 You will be punished by the LORD of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire.
7 The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision.
8 It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look—he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look—he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion."
9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the LORD has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."
12 Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate."
13 Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?"
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
17 Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
19 The humble 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 nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off—
21 Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.
22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale;
23 But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.
24 These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine."
Isaiah chapter 29