Rsbc
Sunday Night
April 22,2001
The Book of Isaiah
Subject- “ God’s Woe On Jerusalem”
Text- Isaiah 29-1-24
Intro- This is the second woe of 6 that God gives Isaiah to prophesy concerning the displeasure of the Lord with his people and their enemies... The Bible says in the N.T. these words..Hebrews 10:31 [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Matthew Henry believes that this passage covers the destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians, then latter by the Chaldeans, and then its final demise, by the Roman empire, I am inclined to agree with him. Ariel is Jerusalem and whose name means “lion of God, or lioness of God”..which is what Jerusalem was called, also she was known as the City of Zion, City of David all the same thing.
Let us look at the woe and its promises...
I... “ UNPROFITABLE SACRIFICES THEY WOULD MAKE”..VS 1
In the beginning of this book the Lord pointed out to these people that they were in deep trouble, and that all their religious activity would not get them out of his judgement if they didn’t truly repent...
Isaiah 1:13‑15 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them]. 15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Later on in this chapter we see the Lord making this clear statement...look at Verse 13 and this is the way the Lord Jesus found them in his day this why we believe that it covers also the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans..
Page # 2
Matthew 15:8‑9 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.
Even in our day, the people of God offer unacceptable worship and go on about their daily business as though God receives it....
II.. “ NOTE WHAT THE LORD DECLARES HE WILL DO TO THEM”...VS 2-8
1st. The Lord promises he will distress her..vs 2
Which means that the Lord will cause her to suffer pain and heaviness and sorrow and that is what the verse says.. Some would even doubt that God would do such and that if it happens it is the devil and not the Lord...
Here what another prophet says...as he describes what it means to have the Lord distress you as a nation or as indiviuals..
Zephaniah 1:14‑15 The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
2nd. That he would camp about them...vs 3
This speaks volumes about the Lord..and we want to list a few things at this point that we feel speaks to us about hte Lord...
A. That God sees all.
Job said...
Job 34:21‑22 For his eyes [are] upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
22 [There is] no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
Page # 3
Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
You might think that because the Prophet Habakkuk 1-13 “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity...that is to look with the same eye that a man may look at sin...
He sees us also..1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil.
B. That God does not overlook sin when he warns and people disregard it..
3rd. I will lay siege against it..vs 3
Which means that God hemmed them in so that they could not get out this is the same promise that Jesus said concerning Jerusalem when the Romans would od the very same thing to them...
Luke 19:41-44
IV.. WHAT IT WILL DO TO THEM..VS 4-8
The judgement of God will break you and cause you to repent are it kill you one or the other..here we see that clearly taught in verse 4 the promise is clear...
A. Shall be brought down...
We all know of surety of the fall of those who defy God especially those who are his own.
Job 24:24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all [other], and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
Page # 4
Psalm 106:43 Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked [him] with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
B. It will bring your proud tongue to a minimal voice...
The Lord has a way silencing people and nations when they refuse to repent and get right with him..
C. Note will he silence an bring down Jerusalem but also those whom he uses to do this will be suddenly and without remedy also experience the terror of the Lord...vs 5-8