Isaiah 27:13

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:13

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13 And it shall come to pass in that day [yowm], that the great [gadowl] trumpet [showphar] shall be blown [taqa`], and they shall come [bow'] which were ready to perish ['abad] in the land ['erets] of Assyria ['Ashshuwr], and the outcasts [nadach] in the land ['erets] of Egypt [Mitsrayim], and shall worship [shachah] the LORD [Y@hovah] in the holy [qodesh] mount [har] at Jerusalem [Y@ruwshalaim].   KJV-Interlinear

13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.   ESV

Trumpets are used in a variety of ways. They are blown in order to announce something or someone important.  They are blown in order to call everyone to attention.  They are blown as a warning or as a signal of impending trouble, and so forth.

Here, after the Second Advent, Christ will summon all believers, and all Jews who have believed in Him, and of whom have survived the Tribulation.

Trumpets can be symbolic as to their nature of use, and they can be literal instruments that are actually blown.  And in that end of days, time, they will most likely be used in both senses.

How Christ will reach around the world, or even throughout the Middle East, to call all to Him in Jerusalem, is not made clear.  But that detail is not really important.  Angels, for that matter, could be used to go to and fro to find and bring all to safety.  Angels could easily travel about the skies and signal to everyone to come out.

But no matter.

The important thing is, that first there will be survivors.  Second, there will be Jews who are among the survivors.  Third, Jerusalem will survive.  Fourth, Mt. Zion, often referred to as the Holy Mountain, will remain.  And fifth, Christ will accomplish all of this, despite the phenomenal opposition and indifference that has and will exist throughout history.

Isaiah 27:12

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:12

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12 And it shall come to pass in that day [yowm], that the LORD [Y@hovah] shall beat off [chabat] from the channel [shibbol] of the river [nahar] unto the stream [nachal] of Egypt [Mitsrayim], and ye shall be gathered [laqat] one ['echad] by one ['echad], O ye children [ben] of Israel [Yisra'el].   KJV-Interlinear

12 In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel.   ESV

After the harvest, where the greatest portion of the grain or fruit is harvested, there is always a bit left behind.  This is gleaned, or left for others or for the poor, to walk through and pick or gather in what they are able. 

However in this case, God is the harvester and God is the gleaner.

The gleaner looks for and discovers very little, but some fruit that has been left behind or not gathered in during the normal harvest.

God on the other hand, does not leave even a single believer behind.  He seeks out and finds and collects all who belong to Him.  None are lost.  None are left behind.

The time frame is the end times.  In that day.  For all of these prophecies are designated for that end of time, period.

To thresh out, means to beat with a stick, as one would beat a tree branch that has fruit on it, so that the fruit will fall and be collected.  Or, to beat a grain stalk, so as to get every kernel off, so they can be collected for the harvest.

And in this manner, God seeks out, finds, beats every nook and cranny of planet earth, to find all of the believers, and to bring them home.

From the river, usually referred to as the Euphrates, to the Nile, for these are the boundaries of the promised land, then all that are promised to God because of their faith, God finds, regardless of where they have been scattered to throughout the land, or the world.

The promise is that God forgets no one, and no one should worry that they might be overlooked, simply because of their geographical location.

Isaiah 27:11

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:11

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11 When the boughs [qatsiyr] thereof are withered [yabesh], they shall be broken off [shabar]: the women ['ishshah] come [bow'], and set them on fire ['owr]: for it is a people [`am] of no understanding [biynah]: therefore he that made [`asah] them will not have mercy [racham] on them, and he that formed [yatsar] them will shew them no favour [chanan].   KJV-Interlinear

11 When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor.   ESV

Ignorance of doctrine and sin are closely related.  Ignorance is never a valid excuse, even though sin blurs truth, because people know what they are doing, or not doing, and are therefore conscious of their thoughts and actions.

And so Isaiah now summarizes the reasons for the massive destruction of evil, and not only evil, but of the evil of Gods own people.

When people, even those who are believers, are so negative, then destruction is inevitable.  For when a vineyard is filled with bad vines, unless it were pruned and the dead vines cleaned out, it would be overrun with bad.  And sooner or later the whole vineyard would be ruined.

Gods foundation is truth.  This leaves no room for evil or lies.  And when those things begin to take hold, then they have to be removed.

As we studied yesterday, bad things are inevitable, but why?  Because people are their own worst enemies.  People ignore truth, and thus become the source and cause of their own trouble.

But that is not the worst of it.  When destruction strikes, humiliation, embarrassment, and disgrace nearly always accompany it.

And so we have that here.

Dry boughs is the nature of a branch with no life. It dries out, breaks, and falls to the ground of its own weight.

When people ignore the teaching of Bible doctrine, they dry out.  No doctrine, means no learning, and no learning means ignorance of truth.  Since Bible doctrine is the food and energy of the soul, then a soul lacking nourishment lacks health.  It becomes undernourished, sick and dies.  And all because of its own refusal to pursue and learn truth.

But the broken branches also refers to the end of a harvest, when nothing is left to harvest.  And that too indicates a failure in society to pursue truth.  An unhealthy society means wide spread destruction.

Remember that these passages are end of the world passages.  So, we know that when the end times is upon us, then interest in God, in Christ, and in doctrine will fade away.  That means society will be spiritually dysfunctional and spiritually deficient.  That means destruction is on the horizon.

And when that occurs, just as Jesus and Paul taught, as Isaiah is teaching here, there will be a huge apostasy covering the entire world.

There have been many apostate periods in history, but none will be like that which is coming.

And so, the women will gather the branches and burn them.

This is a condemnation of society, and of believers.

In their apostate state, there will be great disgrace.

It is a mans world, and as such when men fight they prefer to fight men and if beaten, then beaten by men.  It is a huge disgrace to be beaten by a woman.  This is an ego thing.  But nonetheless, when destruction comes, it will not be men of battle who are plundering and cleaning up, it will be women.  The whole point of this is not who is picking up after the battle, but the disgrace of not knowing doctrine.  The disgrace of course applies to both men and women, or to anyone who has been indifferent toward learning truth.

So this is symbolism of the humiliation and disgrace that comes from lack of knowledge, and lack of wisdom.  Which in turn are directly related to the downfall of the individual, of people, and of society.

But Isaiah, continues in describing the disgrace, especially the confusion over where people actually come or came from.

Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe, of the world, and of all life.

People get to thinking that they create themselves or perpetuate life through natural biological processes.  Not so.

Granted there is an obvious biological function in perpetuating humanity, but the biology is not human life, it is biological life.  God creates human life and God creates human life each time a person is born.

And here Isaiah explains this to make it clear. 

God made them, and God formed them.

The first word for made, 'asah,’ refers to making something based on a pattern or design.

The second word for formed, ‘yatsar,’ refers to making something out of material.

There are six other words used in the creation process, which we covered in our Genesis study.

But the point being made here is, that it is God who causes the whole creation process, not man.  God planned it, designed it, provided for it, and finishes it.  Humanity does nothing but, well, fool around.

And it is man who presumes that his own effort is the basis for life, just as ignorant man presumes many things of foolishness, the worst of which is the presumption of not needing God or doctrine.

The result?  Destruction. and better put, self-destruction.

From under his own worthless dead weight, people and humanity bring about and fall to their own demise.

Isaiah 27:10

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:10

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10 Yet the defenced [batsar] city [`iyr] shall be desolate [badad], and the habitation [naveh] forsaken [shalach], and left [`azab] like a wilderness [midbar]: there shall the calf [`egel] feed [ra`ah], and there shall he lie down [rabats], and consume [kalah] the branches [ca`iyph] thereof.   KJV-Interlinear

10 For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches.   ESV

Now Isaiah leads us to two conclusions.  The first is that we are not to become disheartened when bad things occur, because inevitably good will triumph, and the bad will eventually and always, go away. And second, bad things are going to happen, this is the devils world and bad is inevitable.

Therefore, when the city, and this could refer to any city, but typically when in the context is the descendants of Jacob, or the Jewish people, then Jerusalem is generally in view.

So, when Jerusalem becomes destroyed and becomes a wasteland, a place only good for animals, do not be dismayed.

For, the desolation of the city, will be replaced with lush grass and trees with branches, from which animals will graze and live.  But also, that city will again return.

So, the promise is also a bit of counsel.

Bad things are going to happen.  That is the future.  But live in doctrine, grow up in your spiritual life, advance in your faith, and in so doing, you will not only see the destructions that are destined to occur, but you will know, and perhaps see, the recovery.

In Isaiah’s day, the destruction was going happen to Jerusalem and to all of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians.

But, that will not be the end of the Jewish people, nor their lands.

In our day, we will see atrocities of one sort or another, and evil will seem to be in the winners seat.  But, that will not be the case.  Evil will be defeated and good will arise the victor.

And in the Tribulation, when all of the world is going to fall into its lowest pit ever, the destructions and hardships and sufferings will be beyond imagination and worldwide.  But again, that will not be the end of good.

In the Tribulation, as a result of the sufferings, millions will believe in Christ, where they otherwise would not have believed.  Evil will be defeated and incarcerated for a thousand years, and good will triumph.

So, bad has its place, but you have to know how to look at it and know how to handle it when it pays your life a visit.  No one is exempt.  And that is a good thing.   For because of evil, we might not otherwise want Christ, or even come to know Him, and being lost to the Lake of Fire is a bad thing to the extreme forever.

Isaiah 27:9

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:9

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9 By this [zo'th] therefore shall the iniquity [`avon] of Jacob [Ya`aqob] be purged [kaphar]; and this is all the fruit [p@riy] to take away [cuwr] his sin [chatta'ah]; when he maketh [suwm] all the stones ['eben] of the altar [mizbeach] as chalkstones [gir] that are beaten in sunder [naphats], the groves ['asherah] and images [chamman] shall not stand up [quwm].   KJV-Interlinear

9 Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.   ESV

By this, is a referral to the policy of God in His restraint on punishments toward His people.  This is not discussing the punishments of unbelievers, nor a salvation passage, but a verse that is discussing the punishments of believers, and the resultant fruit, or good that comes out of that form of adversity.

The subject in this passage is of Gods discipline, the sin of believers in general, and the sins of the Jewish people in particular.

In life there are two types of fruit, good fruit and bad fruit. The bad fruit is the wood, hay and stubble, or works of the carnal life.  The good fruit is the gold, silver, and precious stones production of the spiritual life.

In life there is also a definite contrast between having a plush or good life, versus having a difficult life.

And if you have a good life, then the danger there is in forgetting God, or deciding that you don’t need God, in which case you lose both in life and in eternal reward.

And if you have a life filled with difficulties, real difficulties, then you can become bitter and lose, or you can recognize that God is helping you remember your human flaws and weaknesses.  And this is the objective of suffering for blessing.

We all suffer, but the difference is in how we deal with it.

So, God disciplines or allows suffering for two reasons.  The first is to resolve some indiscretion in your life and to get you back on track.  The second is to serve you a reminder, not that you did anything wrong, but that you still need to remember the realities of life. 

So, you can receive suffering for correction, but also you can receive suffering for blessing.

And this is the abundant fruit point being made in this verse.  God brings you through a variety of troubles, so that you will return, or remain, on track within your spiritual life, and have a productive spiritual life.

The alter of chalkstones, are stones that are easy to break or crumble, and the groves and images are also references to your non-spiritual patterns of life, that might be an enticement but certainly a distraction away from your true spiritual life.

The pattern of life you choose, no matter what it is, becomes your alter of worship or pursuit.  It is your chosen pursuit based on the visual or pleasurable (images and groves) components of life.

The non-spiritual life is a false life, is a temporary life, and will easily fall apart.  And, it leads to nothing good.

The false life is not efficacious, never satisfying, and never promotes or advances your life even a single bit.

So, reminders are often times required in order to help prevent you from falling completely off the right path and losing out on life altogether.

If you are smart, then you take the hints of life and you get yourself back on track in your spiritual life, where the real production (fruit) of life occurs.  And that leads to the completion and fulfillment of the meaning and purpose and destiny of your life.

Isaiah 27:8

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:8

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8 In measure [ca'c@'ah], when it shooteth forth [shalach], thou wilt debate [riyb] with it: he stayeth [hagah] his rough [qasheh] wind [ruwach] in the day [yowm] of the east wind [qadiym].   KJV-Interlinear

8 Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.   ESV

In measure, God weighs and very carefully considers His punishments, in all aspects, against all who transgress, especially those who belong to Him.

Shooting forth and debate, are phrases for the contentiousness of those who transgress.

The rough wind and east wind, designate the adversity or bad times, or difficulties, that people will encounter, when at odds with God.

But, God stays the course from the perspective of His righteousness, and the demands of justice, which serves to cleanse or wash away the filth of transgression.

God is completely fair.  God considers all circumstances, factors and facets of the transgressor.  God never compromises His principles.

Isaiah 27:7

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:7

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7 Hath he smitten [nakah] him, as he smote [makkah] those that smote [nakah] him? or is he slain [harag] according to the slaughter [hereg] of them that are slain [harag] by him?   KJV-Interlinear

7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?   ESV

The question is, ‘Has God disciplined His own people, as harshly as their enemies have punished them?’

And the second question, ‘Has God disciplined as harshly as He has allowed others to punish them.’  The key word in this second phrase is, allowed.

And this brings out the principle of allowing evil to punish evil.

Jesus Christ controls history.  He does so in three ways.

The first way is directly.  God created the universe.  God creates life.

The second way of control is indirect, wherein God allows the volition of man to guide his destiny through doctrine, through the laws of divine establishment and so forth.  Man learns right from wrong, doctrine from the false, and conducts himself accordingly.  Man learns the principles of establishment and lives his life accordingly.  Man chooses.  Man marries.  Man raises a family.  Man establishes communities and nations and enterprise and armies for defense and so forth.

And the third way that God controls history is to allow the free will of man to run in its own direction.  Evil inevitably grows and therefore evil is allowed to compete with and punish evil.  One nation goes bad and another nation goes bad and they go to war and they settle things in a conflict of their choosing.  And this third principle is in view here.

But the question raised is, does God punish as harshly as do the punishments of others?

And the answer is, no.

God shows compassion, fairness and there is a resolution.

It is far better to have God punish you, than to allow people to punish you.

People are harsh, unforgiving and tend to punish far beyond that which is necessary.  Human punishment tends to be filled with harsh bias, prejudice, hate, vindictiveness, desire and so forth.  History is filled with examples of phenomenal inhuman treatment of people against people.

Even in the gossip world, the punishments inflicted are used to totally destroy someone, and even and especially when there is no need.  These things are driven by arrogance and jealousy and inordinate competition.  The idea is to promote oneself, at the expense of another.

One of the worst things that has come out of the internet is the social media, where nearly anyone can tear down someone else with little or no factual basis.  A mere comment can become disastrous to someone.  And there is virtually no way to control the abuse.

But God punishes with compassion. God punishes with the objective of bringing someone around to the truth and the knowledge of the error of their ways.  God punishes to improve.  Man punishes to destroy.

Isaiah 27:6

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:6

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6 He shall cause them that come [bow'] of Jacob [Ya`aqob] to take root [sharash]: Israel [Yisra'el] shall blossom [tsuwts] and bud [parach], and fill [male'] the face [paniym] of the world [tebel] with fruit [t@nuwbah].   KJV-Interlinear

6 In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.   ESV

It is important to note that when dealing with prophecy from within the Old Testament, it is not referring our current dispensation.  Our dispensation was silent and a mystery, and not revealed until Jesus mentioned it during His first advent.

Old Testament prophecies do not apply to our dispensation, the dispensation of the Church Age.

We interrupted that former dispensation, the Age of Israel, when it had only seven years remaining.  It will resume when the Rapture occurs, and finally end with the Second Advent of Christ.

And here, we have the prophecy of the existence of Israel, the Jewish people, the descendants of Jacob, at the end of history.

And, not only will the Jewish people continue throughout history, and exist at history’s end, but they will prosper and flourish thereafter.  And, they will spread not only throughout Palestine, but to the whole world.

This is why Satan has targeted the Jews throughout history in order to destroy them and get rid of them, so that Gods promise would not be kept.

Prejudice throughout history has been based not on race or color, but in opposition to Gods promise.  And that opposition has of course spread to all manner of reasons for hate of other peoples.

Satan not only wants to get rid of the Jews, but all of humanity, setting person against person, letting people do his bidding for him.

But, God made a promise, and it will be kept, despite all of the hate and prejudice and divisiveness that man can muster or invent.

Isaiah 27:5

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:5

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5 Or let him take hold [chazaq] of my strength [ma`owz], that he may make [`asah] peace [shalowm] with me; and he shall make [`asah] peace [shalowm] with me.   KJV-Interlinear

5 Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.”   ESV

Or, as an alternative, instead of opposing God, people can take hold of Gods strength, and as a result, acquire peace with God.

But how does one acquire Gods strength?

And that is the easiest question to answer, but the most difficult one to accomplish.  And not because gaining Gods strength is difficult, but because people simply do not do it.

Bible doctrine is Gods strength, and our access to His strength.

Through doctrine we learn truth.

Through confession we reside in the environment of sinless perfection.

Through commitment to a daily study, we advance in our spiritual lives.

And, through advancement in our spiritual lives, we build up our soul with His power and therefore His strength.

And faith in spiritual maturity, is the result.

A daily Bible study results in the certainty of attaining Gods peace, a relaxed mental attitude, orientation to life, preparation for eternity, and the construction of ones soul with intrinsic value that will last forever.

Isaiah 27:4

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:4

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4 Fury [chemah] is not in me: who would set [nathan] the briers [shamiyr] and thorns [shayith] against me in battle [milchamah]? I would go [pasa`] through them, I would burn [tsuwth] them together [yachad].   KJV-Interlinear

4 I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.   ESV

The very nature of God is not in fury or wrath or anger or judgment, but by the nature of people and their failure and rejection of truth, then God is left with no option but to correct the flaws and failures and transgressions that they cause.

To set the briars and thorns against God is to set oneself against God, to array oneself in battle against God.

The result is total defeat for the transgressor.

God is undefeatable.  Truth is undefeatable.

Evil will never win.  Evil will never survive.

Isaiah 27:3

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:3

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3 I the LORD [Y@hovah] do keep [natsar] it; I will water [shaqah] it every moment [rega`]: lest any hurt [paqad] it, I will keep [natsar] it night [layil] and day [yowm].   KJV-Interlinear

3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;   ESV

The vineyard from the previous verse, is the description of the family of God, namely believers in Christ.

Jesus Christ controls history.

God takes great care of each individual, of each generation, of the entire history of humanity, in order to grow and preserve all who will be born into this world, in order that all who wish to believe in Christ, will be able to do so, in order that all who wish to learn doctrine and grow up in their spiritual life, will be able to do so, in order that all who wish to have eternal life in heaven and a relationship with God, will be able to do so.

Evil tries to prevent this.

Evil tries to take that which belongs to believers in Christ.

Evil tries to redirect everyone's thinking, to distract with enticements, to incite fear with threats, to build doubt with an unfair world, to do anything that will turn people against God.

But truth is always there, standing on its own, needing nothing to justify it, needing nothing to support it.

Truth stands on its own merit and power.

Evil has no merit, and no power.

Evil needs to deceive and lie and hide itself in the darkness, in order to convince people.

Truth stands open to public view, and hides nothing.

Jesus Christ controls history and Jesus Christ takes meticulous care of all who belong to Him.

Isaiah 27:2

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:2

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

2 In that day [yowm] sing [`anah] ye unto her, A vineyard [kerem] of red wine [chemer] [chemed].    KJV-Interlinear

2 In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!    ESV

In that day, a phrase that continues to point to the final days and events of history.

A vineyard of red wine, is reflective of the finest of wines, planted in the very best of soils, grown in the very best of climates, tended to with the very best of care.

And so the people of God are planted in faith, in the work of Christ, grown in the climate of doctrine, and cultivated with Gods plan and wisdom and grace.  And the result is the production of the finest family, the finest nation, and finest outcome of Gods plan, that will extend into eternity.

And so the song of grace and of salvation and of eternal life, is sung by believers in Christ, in response to the successful result of Gods final judgment against evil.

The choir consists of believers.  They sing in response to Gods victory.

Isaiah 27:1

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely

Isaiah 27:1

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1 In that day [yowm] the LORD [Y@hovah] with his sore [qasheh] and great [gadowl] and strong [chazaq] sword [chereb] shall punish [paqad] leviathan [livyathan] the piercing [bariyach] serpent [nachash], even leviathan [livyathan] that crooked [`aqallathown] serpent [nachash]; and he shall slay [harag] the dragon [tanniyn] that is in the sea [yam].   KJV-Interlinear

1 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.   ESV

Sore means hard or well tempered.  Great and strong refers to the absolute power of Gods sword, a sword of war and a sword of justice.

Leviathan, is a reference to the ancient god like dragon.  It also means twisted animal.  Twisted in mind as well as twisted in body.  Its entire existence is twisted and distorted and confused, and of course, evil.

Leviathan is Satan.

The three reference to Leviathan, fleeing serpent, twisted serpent, dragon of the sea, are matched against the three descriptions of Gods sword, namely hard, great and strong.

The sea is generally used to symbolize history.  It is in its place where God placed it.  Jesus Christ controls history.  And even though it storms and screams and seemingly fights to make its own place and redefine history, it is always returned to the boundaries in which God placed it.

Leviathan is spoken of as the enemy who, though is an ongoing adversary, is defeated already.  The end game is already determined, it just remains to be played out.

In that day, is of course the final days of history when Satan is defeated, permanently and forever.