Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Isa 15-16,18, 20-22, 30-32
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. Welcome to our journey through scripture. My name is Philip Thomas, pastor of journey here in Elgin, and we are continuing to walk through in a chronological order. So we're going to be in the book of Isaiah today. I'm going to kind of be in some different, different places. So Isaiah 18 through 20, Isaiah 15 and 16, then Isaiah 22 and Isaiah 30 through 32. And all of this is kind of talking about a kind of some specific events that are starting to happen. So now the Northern Kingdom has been destroyed or overtaken by Assyria. And now Assyria obviously becomes a big player. And of course the nations around are going to be nervous and wondering what's going to happen next. The Southern Kingdom or Judah, the Kingdom of Judah. is obviously concerned. Concerned is Assyria going to come after us next? Assyria also had major issues with ⁓ Egypt and Ethiopia. Ethiopia, of course, is just south of Egypt. It's also, sometimes you'll hear in the scripture, the land of Kush, that's Ethiopia. ⁓ Ethiopia and Egypt at times are together, at times they're separate. Egypt is also a ⁓ hostile player in ⁓ this area. so now it appears that there's going to be some confrontation between Assyria and Egypt. And there are some in Judah who are ⁓ encouraging the king and encouraging the leadership to side with Egypt against Assyria, and then some ⁓ pushing the other way. Right? To get involved in this and to side ⁓ with either Assyria or Egypt in order to protect themselves, to find political alliances. Isaiah is very much against that. And he says that God is against that, right? He is sharing God's word ⁓ and basically is saying, we don't need to rely on other nations. We need to rely and turn back to God. And so these chapters through Isaiah are are kind of dealing with that. ⁓ so Isaiah proclaims judgment on Egypt, on Ethiopia, on Assyria, and then he has a warning for the people of Judah as well. So let's first, Isaiah 18 through 20. ⁓ Isaiah chapter 18 talks about ⁓ Ethiopia. says, woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, which is beyond the rivers in Ethiopia. So it ⁓ starts talking about how they will receive judgment, says, that time a president will be brought to the Lord of Hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin and from the people terrible from the beginning onward, a nation powerful and treading down whose lands the river divide to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, Mount Zion. So eventually they will be cut down. Then in chapter 19 is a proclamation against Egypt. It says, will set Egyptian against Egyptian. Everyone will fight against his brother, everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst. I will destroy their council, and they will consult the idols and the charmers, the mediums, the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of Hosts. So both Ethiopia and Egypt, God is saying they will receive judgment. Then verse 22 of chapter 19, it kind of continues to talk about this. It says, the Lord will strike Egypt, he will strike it and heal it. They will return to the Lord, and he will be entreated by them and heal them. So it's talking about that there will be judgment, but that God still desires for them to come to know Him, right? ⁓ There's judgment that it happens not only to the people of God, but to others as well. But God's desire is always that eventually people will turn and return to Him. chapter 20 is very interesting. This is Isaiah, one of the ways in which he is ⁓ proclaiming this message. I'm just going to read these. few little verses here in chapter 20. It says, the year that Tartan came to Ashad where Sargon, the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashad and took it at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah saying, go and remove the sackcloth from your body and take your sandals off your feet. And he did so walking naked and barefoot. That would be an interesting request, but Isaiah was faithful. He said, then the Lord said, just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot, Three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt. Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia, their expectation, and Egypt their glory. And the inhabitant of this territory will say in that day, surely such is our expectation wherever we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria, how shall we escape? So Isaiah is prophesying that Assyria is going to defeat Egypt and Ethiopia ⁓ and doing so in a very creative way. Talk about an object lesson. chapter 15 talks about Moab. That's another one of the nations that are in that area. Again, all of these are kind of warnings to Judah not to... ⁓ enter into an alliance with any of these nations. Do not rely on them for protection. That's what a lot of the discussion is within Judah. Should we rely on them for protection, for strength? ⁓ And God is telling them, no, you rely on me. These are ungodly nations and they are going to receive judgment. part of it, interesting, it's in verse two, it says, has gone up to the temple. to the high places to weep, Moab will wail over Nabo and over Medeba, and on all their heads will be baldness, and every beard cut off in their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth on the tops of their houses and in their streets. Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly." So again, just the judgment that is coming to these nations. Chapter 16 of Isaiah talks about Moab being destroyed. It says, have heard the pride of Moab. He is very proud of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath, but his lies shall not be so. Therefore, Moab shall well. For Moab, everyone shall well. For the foundations of Kir Hershe, you shall mourn. Surely they are stricken. So Moab will also come and be destroyed and receive justice. Isaiah 22, this is kind of interesting. This is Isaiah 22 chapters 15 through 25. introduces, it talks about judgment on a specific person. This is Shebna. ⁓ Shebna is a steward. is within the government ⁓ of, in Judah. And what is believed is that he is encouraging the king to make these alliances with Egypt and Ethiopia. But yet, he is enriching himself, so he's not really looking out for ⁓ the good of the nation or of the people. He's really looking out for himself. And so Isaiah has a very specific judgment upon him. It says, Go proceed to the steward, to Shemna, who is over the house, and say, What have you here, and whom have you here, that you have ⁓ Heun a sepulcher here, and he who He used himself a sepulcher on high who carves a tomb for himself and a rock. Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, O mighty man, and will surely seize you." The fact that, it's interesting that he puts that he has a tomb that he has made for himself. Only the wealthy could afford to do that. Verse 18, he said, he will surely turn violently and tossed you like a ball into a large country. There you shall die and there your glorious chariots. shall be the shame of your master's house. So I will drive you out of your office and from your position, he will pull you down." Right? So he is a wealthy, greedy person that is looking to push the nation away from God. And so Isaiah has specific judgment for him. And then as you continue on Isaiah chapter 30 through 32 talks about kind of the The relationship between Egypt and Judah and how Judah needs to wake up and not trust Egypt talks about the confidence that they would have in Egypt is futile. It says, woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel but not of me, and who devise plans but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who walk to go down to Egypt. So he's saying these are like ⁓ rebellious children that are going to Egypt rather than turning to me. It talks about how the people are being rebellious. says, this is a rebellious people lying children. This is in verse nine, children who will not hear the law of the Lord and who say to the seers, do not see and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us right things. Speak to us smooth things. prophesied deceits, get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." So that the people get to the place where they don't want to hear the truth. They just want to hear good things. They want to be made comfortable. They don't want to be told things that will challenge them or make them uncomfortable. Kind of ⁓ interesting whenever you think about today. think sometimes we run into that. Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel in verse 12, because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perversity and rely on them, rely on oppression and perversity, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. And he shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel which is broken in pieces. He shall not spare. So it's interesting that the iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. So it's like a dam that is weakening slowly, slowly, slowly that you don't even notice and then all of a sudden it just breaks open. That is what the people of Judah are experiencing as they move further and further away from God. But then you get to verse 18 and it's reminds them that God will still be gracious. It says, the Lord will wait, that he may be gracious to you. Right? He's giving them time to change. And therefore he will be exalted and he may have mercy on you for the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. You shall weep no more. He will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. Right? So that God will be gracious and sometimes he delays That is in His graciousness giving us time. It gets down to verse 27, it starts talking about judgment on Assyria, that Assyria will also receive judgment. Then Isaiah chapter 31, it talks about the folly of not trusting in God, says, woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, whose trust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are very strong. but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord." How often do we look for things that the world considers as strong rather than turning to God? Do we listen to the truth of who God is and what He says, or do we rely on the truth that the world portrays? And it continues on, it talks about God, that He will deliver Jerusalem, that eventually Jerusalem will be restored. Chapter 32 talks about ⁓ a reign of righteousness. Behold, a king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule with justice. A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, a cover from the tempest. It says, the eyes of those who see will not be dim. The ears of those who hear will listen. It talks about in verse nine, rise up, you women who are at ease. Hear my voice, you complacent daughters. Give ear to my speech. In a year and some days, you will be troubled, you complacent ⁓ women, for the vintage will fail. The gathering will come." So it's warning, do not become complacent. Pay attention. I think that's one of the problems in our society is we've become complacent. We pay attention on just what's right in front of us rather than seeing what's going on in society around us. than the peace of God's reign in verse 16. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, in a quiet resting place. Blessed are you who sow beside all waters." This wonderful picture that we see that ultimately That is what God will restore ⁓ the nation to. ⁓ And ultimately, that's what he will restore when he returns again. It will be made to be that way as he created it originally. But until then, there will be judgments, there will be ⁓ strife, there will be conflict. ⁓ We need to be kind of like Judah. We need to be asking, where are we going to put our trust? Are we going to ally? with things of this world that may seem to be secure and to give us strength, or are we going to rely totally on the Lord? All right, so as we continue, we're going to be looking at King Hezekiah. So 2 Kings chapter 20, Isaiah 38 and 39. And then also, sorry, 2 Kings 18 through 20. Yes, 2 Kings 18 through 20, Isaiah 38, 36 through 39. Sorry, see, sometimes Isaiah is opposite, you know, in chronological order. So Isaiah, chapters 36 through 39 in 2 Kings 18 through 20. All right. And we'll see y'all. Have a good week.