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Isaiah 29 - God’s Judgment Against Ariel · Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self

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Welcome to Tabernacle Talk. Tabernacle Talk is a Bible study
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podcast brought from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Essex, MD.
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I'm your host, Brian Self. We hope this podcast encourages
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you to know Christ, grow in his word, and show his love to
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others. Let's dive right in.
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Welcome back to Tabernacle Talk. Today we are in Isaiah chapter
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29, Isaiah chapter 29, and in this chapter we read an
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indictment against Israel. These were the people that were
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supposed to to be the people of God, and yet they were not
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walking with the Lord. They were not obeying him.
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Instead, they were living in consistent open rebellion and
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rejection of who God was, His character, the ways that He had
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called Israel to in Judah, to live out His character, to image
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who He was to one another and to the world around them, They just
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wanted nothing to do with it. And so here's what God says
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against Jerusalem. This would be about 50 to 100
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years before the southern Kingdom of Judah would be taken
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away by the Babylonians into exile for about 70 years.
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And so this is the prophecy that Isaiah gives during that time
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period against his very own wicked nation and wicked people
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and the capital city of Jerusalem.
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The verses say this beginning in verse #1 woe to Ariel.
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Now, that's not The Little Mermaid.
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That is another name meaning like Lion of God is a nickname
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that is given to Jerusalem. So it says woe to Ariel, this is
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Jerusalem, Ariel, the city where David camped.
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Jerusalem had not previously been the capital city for the
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people of Israel. David himself actually conquered
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Jerusalem from the Jebusites and then made that the capital of
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first Judah and then all Israel. And so here, this place that had
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such close ties with who the Jewish people believed
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themselves to be, and even in keeping with the promises of God
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that we would read in Second Samuel 7 with David himself that
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people that place Jerusalem would experience woe, sadness,
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grief, verse #1 continues, continue year after year.
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Let the festivals recur. I will oppress Ariel, and there
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will be mourning and crying, and she will be to me like an Ariel.
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I will camp in a circle around you.
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I will besiege you with earth ramps.
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I will set up my siege towers against you.
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So God has plans here, not for Jerusalem's temporary good, but
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for Jerusalem's temporary fall. Verse #4 You will be brought
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down. You will speak from the ground,
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and your words will come from low in the dust.
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Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground.
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Your speech will whisper from the dust.
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So here God is going to humiliate this southern Kingdom
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of Judah and the people of Jerusalem.
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There's so much pride and evil that is taking place that God
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finally says enough. Verse #5 Your many foes will be
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like fine dust that is all over the place.
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There's going to be a lot of foes and many of the ruthless
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like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,
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you will be punished by Yahweh of heaven's armies with Thunder,
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earthquake and loud noise, storm, Tempest, and a flame of
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consuming fire. Here we're meant to recall the
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various ways in which God had previously protected His people
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by inflicting these things onto the attacking nations, the
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nation of Egypt when Israel was coming out in the Exodus.
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And God says these things, these ways in which I protected you
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before because other people were being evil.
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Now you are being evil. And so it would almost be unjust
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for me to not also levy out these punishments on you as
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well. So you can think of the Thunder,
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the earthquake, the loud noise, and it should remind us about
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the journeyings in Exodus, about the times even within the time
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of the Judges. And as Moses and Aaron deal with
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Kora and Kora's rebellion, the earthquake that happens opens up
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the crown. And Kora and those that were
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rebelling against Moses and Aaron fell into the earth itself
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as a result of that earthquake. You have the Thunder and the
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loud noise that comes from Mount Sinai that makes the people
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nervous and they go, no Moses, you deal with Yahweh.
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We're too scared to interact with him ourselves.
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Or you can think about Elijah on the mountains and the Thunder
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and the noises that came from him.
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Even the storm, The Tempest and the flame of consuming fire.
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Even think of that chariot that took up Elijah.
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You can think of the fire that was called down from heaven on
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to the the burnt offering there in First Kings.
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All of that is meant to come into mind that what God once
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used as a blessing and a protection for Israel, now as
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they have simply become like all of the nations around them, that
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same those same punishments would be levied out on them.
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Verse #7 All the many nations going out to battle against
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Ariel, all the attackers. The siege works against her, and
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those who oppress her will then be like a dream, a vision in the
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night. It'll be like a hungry one who
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dreams he's eaten, eating, then wakes and is still hungry.
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And like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking, then
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wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water.
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So it will be for all the many nations who go to battle against
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Mount Zion in the time up until Babylon would eventually, if you
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will, dethrone Judah and Jerusalem.
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There are many different groups that would come and try to
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overthrow Israel. One of the most predominant of
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these would be the nation of Assyria.
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And we're going to read, I think it's within the next like 10 to
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15 chapters, A narrative account of when Assyria attempted to
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destroy Judah. And just like this, they have a
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siege that they build up against Judah, against Jerusalem
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specifically, and they think there's no hope.
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And God comes through in one night with an Angel and kills
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many in the army of Assyria. Assyria actually gets news that
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there's a whole rebellion and war thing that's happening
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closer to home, and so they leave that siege and go there.
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And we even have some historical records of the fight that they
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left in Jerusalem after destroying many of the different
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cities in Judah. But they didn't destroy
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Jerusalem, and they went back to deal with that rebellion that
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was there. And it was quick.
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It's almost like a dream that one minute it seems like you're
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going to be ultimately destroyed.
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And then all of a sudden you wake up, the Syrian Army has
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left because they have to go deal with stuff back home, and
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you are safe. And so here, this would be
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another confirmation to the people of Judah of God's
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protection and also of the coming judgement, and that they
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needed to walk with the Lord, that even though it wasn't
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popular, it wasn't what everyone was doing during the time
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period, it was something that they desperately needed to do.
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Verse #9 stop and be astonished. Blind yourselves and be blind.
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They're drunk, but not with wine.
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They stagger, but not with beer. For Yahweh has poured out on you
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an overwhelming urge to sleep. He has shut your eyes, the
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prophets, and covered your heads this year.
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So here, as the nations are wanting to destroy Judah and
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Jerusalem, for a time, they would be unsuccessful in doing
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so. And they would just have an
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overwhelming desire and an urge to be able to get rid of this
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pesky little nation and this capital city.
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But it wouldn't happen yet. And God would foil the plans for
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a particular set of time. Verse #11 for you, this is
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Isaiah. The entire vision will be like
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the words of a sealed document. If it's given to one who can
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read and he's asked to read it, he'll say, I can't read it
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because it's sealed. And if the document is given to
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one who can't read and he's asked to read it, he will say, I
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can't read. So here there would be a
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mysterious nature to what was happening until all of the
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different things came to pass. But even right now as we're
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reading through Isaiah, unless you've got maybe like a study
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Bible or something that walks through some of the historical
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markers, you might read through this and go, I have no idea
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what's happening. Well, and that's what God is
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here describing that until such time as these events took place,
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it would be almost useless. Someone would say, I don't know
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enough about the future to be able to validate or invalidate
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this. That was one of the things that
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was different in the Old Testament prophets from what
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many people that claimed to be prophets today.
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The Old Testament prophets, they were always correct in
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everything that they said because they were speaking as
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the Lord told them to speak. And so everything that they said
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was right both in their judgments and and words about
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the right and wrong that peoples were doing.
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That was the predominant work of a prophet.
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But then also when the prophets were given specific information
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by God about the future, that always came to pass.
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Today, if you ever listen to anyone that claims to be a
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prophet, the vast majority, the vast majority of instances that
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person is lying. They are a false prophet.
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They are wanting to get crowds, they're wanting to get
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accolades, they're wanting a following.
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But they will not and cannot be empirical about the future.
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We saw this several years ago. People made all sorts of
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outlandish claims about the presidency.
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People made claims about specific wars.
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They made claims about specific diseases.
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They made claims about specific people that just over and over
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and over again did not come true.
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If someone claims to know the future, frankly, you should
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always severely doubt that person always 100% of the time.
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Now, if it happens to come true, specifics come true time and
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time and time again. Well, wonderful that that might
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give you an indication. OK, it could be that, you know,
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maybe the Holy Spirit is is working through this person, or
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it could be that the person has maybe some inside information.
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But don't just believe someone because they claim to have a
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word from God. If someone can open up the word
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of God and show you here's what the Bible says, here's what it
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says in context to what is initially written, then you can
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believe that person because they are telling you things not based
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on their own interpretation of their feelings or emotions or
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thoughts, but they are wanting to point you to the word of God.
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The Word of God is the most important thing, not our own
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thoughts. Verse #13 The Lord said.
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These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with
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lip service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules
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direct their worship of me. Therefore I will again confound
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these people with wonder after wonder.
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The wisdom of their wise will vanish and the perception of
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their perceptive will be hidden. God does not just want you to go
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through the motions with Him. He doesn't want other people to
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dictate the way that you call out to him, that you relate to
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Him. Human rules do nothing for
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worship. Now, every place has some sort
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of like boundary markers, rules that we have in worship.
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But the truth is that that only extends as far as it goes in
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that, you know, local church or that that local place of
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worship. I cannot pray to God on your
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behalf. Now I can pray for some needs
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that you have. I can pray for your walk with
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the Lord, but I cannot determine your life.
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I can't say you need to spend 30 minutes every single day reading
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the word of God, meditating on it.
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And then you need to spend 15 to 30 minutes in prayer or you need
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to spend one hour in prayer after that.
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And then later in the day, after you, you know, get paid for the
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work that you do for the day, you need to give 25% of your
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income to Tabernacle Baptist Church.
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And then after that, you need to go after you're done with work,
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you need to go out and you need to evangelize at least 5 people
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and get five people to pray the sinner's prayer before you come
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home that day. And you care for your family and
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you lead them in family devotions that need to be no
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less than 25 minutes. And then you need to go to bed.
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And then you need to wake up the next morning at 5:00 AM and do
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the same thing over and over again.
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I could prescribe a list of rules for your relationship with
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God and and none of those things that I mentioned are inherently
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bad in and of themselves. It's good to give.
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It's good to evangelize, good to pray, good to care for your
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family, good to do family devotions, good to work at your
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job. All of that is are good things.
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But here I, I feel like the end of verse #13 their hearts are
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far from me and human rules direct their worship of me.
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I, I need my walk with God to not merely be some list of
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things that someone else has given to me.
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I need to have a personal walk with God, one that says God, I
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am in covenant relationship with you like I'm in a covenant
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relationship with Samantha. There are maybe things that in
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my relationship with Samantha, expectations that she would have
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of me that no one else could give.
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The list of things that I need to do for Samantha that would be
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as meaningful as what I would learn in simple relationship
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with her. Or if you will, because my
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relationship with her is personal, it means that the
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actual list of rules that I would have with her are going to
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be personal to her. And so it is with your
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relationship with the Lord that the Lord might have you to do
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some things that he won't ask of me, or He might have me do some
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things that He would never put onto you.
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But we need to be personally responsive and receptive to the
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Holy Spirit to be able to listen to His voice.
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And just because someone else is doing something, it might even
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be a good thing, a good idea that they have in their
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relationship with God, it doesn't mean that that has to be
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you as well. We have a personal covenant
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relationship with God. And so listen to His voice, His
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wisdom, not just the wisdom or thoughts of other people.
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Verse #15 Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their
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plans from Yahweh. They do their works in the dark
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and say, who sees us? Who knows us?
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You have turned things around as if the Potter were the same as
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the clay. How can what is made say about
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its maker? He didn't make me.
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How can what is formed say about the one who formed it?
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He doesn't understand what he's doing.
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We, the clay, the pottery, we try and tell our Creator, the
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one who sculpted us, who made us, who is creating our story.
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We try to tell him how our lives should go.
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And my friend, that is just foolishness.
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He is the author of the story and he writes good stories.
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Verse #17 Isn't it true that in just a little while Lebanon will
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become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest
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here? There's more difficulties that
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come against Lebanon, a place of incredible woodwork and
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carpentry and donating different trees and things, but it's going
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to become overgrown as a result of kind of the defeat of the
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rulers of that place. Verse #18 On that day the deaf
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will hear the words of a document, and out of the deep
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darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
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The humble will have joy after joy in Yahweh, and the poor
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people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
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Certainly here we can think about both Jesus coming and that
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foretaste of that ultimate day when he returns once more and
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makes all things right. He made it right in his first
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advent, in his first coming with our souls, with our relationship
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with God, so that God can come and he can have mercy, He can
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have love and a family when he comes back to the earth.
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Without Christ, we would not have the relationship with God
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that was needed. So if he came and was going to
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punish the wicked, he would have to punish all humanity.
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But because of Christ, and what Christ accomplished on the
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cross, that it is finished that he cried.
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Now we who once were far off have been brought close by the
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blood of Christ. So there's kind of both things
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in mind here that Jesus brought this.
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He brought this joy. He made the deaf to hear, the
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blind to see. Those that were humble, lowly,
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having no money, downtrodden. They had joy after joy in Jesus,
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and the poor people rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
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Verse #20 For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will
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disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be
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killed. Those who with their speech
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accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap for the 1
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mediating at the city gate, and without cause deprive the
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righteous of justice, There is coming that day when all wrong
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is punished. And those that have called out
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to the Lord, those that desire relationship with Him and right
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relationship with others will receive that verse #22 Therefore
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Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, says this about the House of
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Jacob. Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
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and his face will no longer be pale.
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For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his
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nation, they will honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of
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Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
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Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who
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grumble will accept instruction. I love that little poem.
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This section here. There's no longer shame about
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1's behavior or actions as a result of the fact that God
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works and he transforms and he makes our failures into
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something beautiful. Not that our failures, not that
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we should pursue our failures and pursue sin, God forbid.
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But God can make even our human fallenness an evil turn out
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ultimately to good through His plan.
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And there is going to be honor and worship of God that happens
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as a result of what God does. And those that were confused,
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that were grumbling, that we're not obeying or listening to the
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Lord, they find a whole new way to live.
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They find understanding, they accept instruction.
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God is glorified. People experience life.
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That is what is finally awaiting.
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So yes, there is judgment that is coming against Jerusalem, but
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it's not forever. And one day God is going to make
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all things right. And so we can live in the broken
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now, knowing that there is coming a whole, a fixed, a
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restored day later where every wrong is made right.
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Thanks for tuning in today. Next episode will be in chapter
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30 and looking forward to joining with you then.