Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Well, it may seem like we have heard this all before. There are woes enough and more for the people of Israel. And a dependence upon Egyptian military power has been condemned over and over. What was the appeal of Egyptian power which turned Judean envy in that direction? Was it the same awesome horse power feared at the Exodus, the same thunder of Philistine chariots, the generational chariot cities of Solomon? Yes, even though under Solomon Israelite power reigned supreme. It was the rented naval advisors of Tyre and the gelded horses from Egypt that made domination of Palestine possible. Things were different after Solomon. No real horse breeding areas existed within Judah's borders and the wealth accumulated from trade only attracted conquerors from the east and north. Like third world countries today who depend upon weapons exported from afar, the government of Judea coveted the cavalry of Egypt which alone, they dreamed, could ride down the marching Assyrian hordes. Cavalry then, like tanks today, were incredibly expensive. After Solomon, the Judean kings were able to maintain only a handful of mounted units for scouting and messages. The bulk of the Judean military were probably slingers and swordsmen who could function as light infantry in the mountainous highlands of Judea. Faced with the heavy infantry of spearmen and archers from Assyria, the military minds of Judea would earnestly desire some means of balancing that power with Egyptian horses.
This idolatry of military obsession is not limited to Isaiah's time alone. This very weekend we are celebrating the triumph of the allied invasion which turned the tide in Europe. As it was, the combined power of the British Empire and the American Commonwealth was barely sufficient. Were it not for a providential break in the weather which allowed us to gain a strategic surprise, the outcome could well have been very different. Were it not for the muddled mind and habits of Hitler, German "cavalry" in the shape of the dreaded fire breathing Panzers could have been on the beaches in hours instead of days. To their credit, the allied powers encouraged and asked for prayer before during and after the great crusade hit the beaches. Judeans seem to have forgotten the prayer lessons of David and to have opposed the reminders of Isaiah that Israel's strength lay in God alone. Of the material weakness of Egyptian arms, Isaiah dwells at length in the first three verses of chapter thirty-one.
In verses four and five Isaiah describes the scene which in time will dominate Mid-eastern politics for centuries to come. "As a lion growls" Isaiah begins "so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights." Closer and closer we come to the time when the Assyrian hordes will gather in the suburbs of Jerusalem for their own destruction. Isaiah calls the people in verses six and seven to return to him and leave the painted ponies to Egypt. Here we see again a promise that at long last Israel will finally put away the false idols of silver and gold which they also have worshiped. But will all of Israel listen and obey? Perhaps not. But still, the Lord has spoken and "Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man". In the same way will all human institutions fall and fade away; the material glory of this earth is but a passing thing. Empires and Kingdoms rise and fall, so too do Republics and Commonwealths. Like Isaiah in chapter thirty-two we must look forward to the coming of our eternal King - a king who will finally reign in righteousness and justice.
The Hebrew in verse two is difficult, and "each man" in the NIV should be translated as "a man" to set forth the messianic ideal. Some commentators would argue that the reference here is to the reign of Hezekiah; however the emphasis upon righteousness and justice and the description of men in verse two should show us that this is hardly our present era! In our present era very few realize the need for such a King or kingdom of righteousness. Isaiah addresses this problem in verse three. Under the reign of this man, eyes and ears will be opened; the mind and muscles will function perfectly. Worldly wisdom in verses five through seven will be recognized for what it is. At school last month I posted on the bulletin board a bumper sticker that read: Socialized medicine with the compassion of the IRS, the efficiency of the Post Office at Pentagon Prices! One of the teachers was a bit huffy because I had condemned a program that hadn't even had a chance to prove itself. Of course, that teacher was on the Insurance committee when a sharp salesman had us paying for the same options two and three times by hiding them in various subpackages. You know, I think that living in a time and space where foolishness and fraud and scandal are no longer evident could be very heavenly! Finally, at long last, will the noble man stand fast. Five years ago I was almost overwhelmed with the stupidity of our educational system. Well things have not improved much in the meantime. Other people are having similar frustrations with corporate and government agencies. You know, the greatest problem you can have in such work places is to actually know what you are doing and then try to do it well.
Well, the Lord has not come yet, and we are all going to have to live with our contemporary foolishness for a while yet. In verse nine, Isaiah's vision returns to his time and place. Just as he had done earlier in chapter three, he appeals to the women of Jerusalem. Since by common consent women are known as the more sensitive and understanding, we would suppose that like the experience of many American congregations, the women will pay more attention to the words of Isaiah than the men. However, he observes that such is not the case. They are too much at ease in Zion, as the saying goes. Isaiah uses a Hebrew term for being careless to describe their attitude. Dr Young observes that when the women of a country are not concerned about the welfare of their city that fact is tragic indeed. Isaiah warns the women of Jerusalem that there is little more than a year until judgment will fall upon them. The grape harvest will be the first to fail. Fields will be abandoned, the houses of merriment will close and the fortress and noisy city will be deserted in time.
In our neighborhood some of us are earnestly waiting for 1996 to come. That is when our neighboring fields will begin to come out of a ten year government set aside program. For a decade weeds, thistles and even young trees have sprouted up where crops were once grown and animals used to be pastured. Absentee landlords have prospered more than local farmers and it will be the turn of the century before our area returns to productivity. The thorn and briars mentioned in this passage reminded me of our study of the restoration period a year or so ago. When the Jews returned from the east after seventy years, an awful lot of hard labor went into clearing these predicted thorns and briars from the ruins of Jerusalem. In time that desolate scene described here will be changed. The city itself will be rebuilt and one day the Spirit will be poured out upon the Lord's people.
Only the Spirit will be able to restore what has been ruined by the sins of mankind. The image of a fruitful forest where paradise is restored is in Isaiah's mind here. Obviously this must be the heavenly Kingdom, yet we may have some hopes that God from time to time might pour out His Spirit on our leaders and judges as well as His people. Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones faithfully describes the great Welsh revival where whole villages were reformed and even the bars closed for lack of business. May we earnestly pray for such a revival and reformation which could be given by such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Of course there are other times and places where these hints of eternal bliss have become reality for a generation. But for a complete and whole transformation of this world, we must await the final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some commentators would argue that the change here is temporal.
As I read verse twenty, I cannot envision an earthly period of time when the livestock will be able to range free in the midst of planted fields. Even now, with our own livestock fenced in, the King's deer and the King's geese are running loose on private land. Near Upper Sandusky the farmers are having problems with wild geese who land in a corn field. The crowds of cackling geese browse down a row of corn until they are satisfied. Some farmers have reported fifty per cent losses. It seems that the only solution to the problem is a liberal application of lead. Unfortunately the geese are protected. Another farmer I know lost half a field of corn to raccoons. And I have seen soybeans crushed where deer have made a comfortable place to sleep with breakfast in bed when they awoke.
The blessed periods described here in this portion of Isaiah are most definitely a period of time under the reign of the Spirit. At the very least we are almost three thousand years closer to that great day than Isaiah was. May we earnestly hope and pray for such a spiritual revival or for the Kingdom to come in. Amen.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary Series: God Delivers.
Young, Edward J.
The Book of Isaiah.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213
(c) 2001
05 June 1994
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.