Latest / Marriage Life and More and Bible Study / Isaiah 17 - When God Says ... Remember Me Now? - 356

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Isaiah 17 - When God Says ... Remember Me Now? - 356 · Marriage Life and More and Bible Study

• 0:06
  Daniel Moore: When God says your fortified cities are going to be abandoned, is that usually when you reconsider your life choices, or do we need another chapter?
• 0:14
  Daniel Moore: And if you plant the finest plants, import the best vines, and God still says the harvest is going to disappear?
• 0:20
  Daniel Moore: At what point do we admit agriculture might not be the real problem?
• 0:24
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah 17 is one of those chapters where you almost want to pull Israel aside and say, okay, help me understand the plan here.
• 0:32
  Daniel Moore: You've got the living God, the one who parted the Red Sea, crushed armies, fed your ancestors in the wilderness, and you decided Syria was the better backup plan?
• 0:41
  Daniel Moore: Apparently, when your spiritual GPS does recalculating, Israel's solution was to turn it off and ask Damascus for directions.
• 0:50
  Daniel Moore: But underneath the irony is a serious warning.
• 0:53
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah 17 announces judgment against Damascus, but Israel isn't standing safely on the sidelines.
• 0:59
  Daniel Moore: They had forgotten the God of thy salvation and had not been mindful of the rock of thy strength.
• 1:06
  Daniel Moore: They were planning, building, strategizing, and forming alliances, but they had forgotten the one who actually gave them security.
• 1:14
  Daniel Moore: And that brings Isaiah 17 uncomfortably close to home.
• 1:18
  Daniel Moore: It is entirely possible to be busy building a life while forgetting the God who holds that life together.
• 1:25
  Daniel Moore: So this week, we're gonna watch kingdoms shake, human security collapse, and God remind his people that when everything else they trusted disappears, he is still the rock they should have been standing on all along.
• 1:37
  Daniel Moore: Let's get to it.
• 1:39
  Daniel Moore: Welcome to Connecting the Gap.
• 1:44
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  Daniel Moore: I'm Daniel Moore, your host, thank you guys for joining us this week.
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  Daniel Moore: Feel free to leave a comment on our platforms, give us a thumbs up for five-star review and Apple Podcasts, and we thank you in advance for doing that.
• 2:15
  Daniel Moore: Well, this week we're gonna jump back into our verse-by-verse study in Isaiah as we're going to cruise our way through Isaiah chapter 17.
• 2:23
  Daniel Moore: And it's another short chapter, so we're gonna go ahead and try to get the whole chapter in this week as we continue this study.
• 2:30
  Daniel Moore: Don't forget that if you'd like to purchase the book, you can do so by visiting our website at connectingthegap.net or you can go to Amazon or any online store, uh Walmart, Barks, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, eBay.
• 2:42
  Daniel Moore: There's lots of different places that the book is available.
• 2:44
  Daniel Moore: It's in uh paperback, hardback end ebook as well.
• 2:47
  Daniel Moore: It's the first 39 chapters, and we are vigorously working away on volume two, which is 40 through 66.
• 2:55
  Daniel Moore: And right now it looks like we might have a release date of maybe the middle of September, maybe middle, late September, as it's moving along a little bit quicker than we thought it would.
• 3:04
  Daniel Moore: So that's something to look forward to.
• 3:06
  Daniel Moore: So eventually you'll have the whole volume, uh the whole set of chapters there in Isaiah in your hands, and we're looking forward to getting that release.
• 3:13
  Daniel Moore: So go check that out online and get your purchase uh your own copy today, and you can uh go along with us here as we study each week in this verse by verse study.
• 3:23
  Daniel Moore: So let's go ahead then and get started as we this week are going to work our way through Isaiah chapter 17.
• 3:31
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah chapter 17 continues the series of prophetic oracles delivered by Isaiah against various nations surrounding Israel.
• 3:51
  Daniel Moore: This chapter focuses primarily on the judgment of Damascus, the capital of Syria, and also mentions the northern kingdom of Israel, often referred to as Ephraim.
• 4:02
  Daniel Moore: These two nations had formed an alliance against Judah in the Syrah Ephraimite War, circa 734 to 732 BC, which forms the historical backdrop for Isaiah's words.
• 4:13
  Daniel Moore: The prophecy foretells the downfall of Damascus and Israel as a result of their rebellion against God and the reliance on political alliances rather than trusting in him.
• 4:24
  Daniel Moore: This chapter carries a strong message about the impermanence of worldly strength and the futility of trusting in human power.
• 4:31
  Daniel Moore: Yet in the midst of judgment, there are hints of hope and restoration for a remnant, a common theme in Isaiah's prophecies.
• 4:39
  Daniel Moore: So as we explore this chapter, we are invited to reflect on the consequences of turning away from God and the mercy he still offers to those who return to him.
• 4:48
  Daniel Moore: So as we get started this week, let's go ahead and read our text, and we're going to be reading this from the ESV version of the Bible.
• 4:56
  Daniel Moore: Verse 1, an oracle concerning Damascus.
• 5:00
  Daniel Moore: Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.
• 5:05
  Daniel Moore: The cities of Auror are deserted.
• 5:07
  Daniel Moore: They will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
• 5:12
  Daniel Moore: The fortress will disappear from Ephraim and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.
• 5:22
  Daniel Moore: And in that day, the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.
• 5:29
  Daniel Moore: And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the valley of Raphaim.
• 5:39
  Daniel Moore: Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten, two or three berries in the top of the highest bow, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the Lord God of Israel.
• 5:51
  Daniel Moore: Verse 7 In that day, man will look to his maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel.
• 5:58
  Daniel Moore: He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the asherim or the altars of incense.
• 6:07
  Daniel Moore: In that day, their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.
• 6:18
  Daniel Moore: For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the rock of your refuge.
• 6:24
  Daniel Moore: Therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.
• 6:40
  Daniel Moore: Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea.
• 6:46
  Daniel Moore: Ah, the roar of nations, they roar like the roaring of mighty waters.
• 6:51
  Daniel Moore: The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chase like chaff on the mountains before the wind, and whirling dust before the storm.
• 7:03
  Daniel Moore: In the final verse, verse 14, at evening time, behold, terror.
• 7:08
  Daniel Moore: Before morning they are no more.
• 7:11
  Daniel Moore: This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us.
• 7:16
  Daniel Moore: That's Isaiah chapter 17 from the ESV version of the Bible.
• 7:22
  Daniel Moore: So as we get started this week with verse 1, we're going to start out here with a pronouncement against Damascus.
• 7:29
  Daniel Moore: It says an oracle concerning Damascus.
• 7:32
  Daniel Moore: Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.
• 7:37
  Daniel Moore: This chapter opens with a prophetic burden or oracle against Damascus, the capital of Syria, also called Aram.
• 7:45
  Daniel Moore: An oracle, which in Hebrew is Massa, indicates a solemn prophecy of judgment.
• 7:51
  Daniel Moore: Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, is here foretold to be utterly devastated.
• 7:58
  Daniel Moore: Historically, this prophecy likely refers to events in the 8th century BC, particularly the fall of Damascus to the Assyrian Empire under Tiglith Pelezer III around 732 BC, during which Syria, or Aram, was crushed and Damascus was depopulated, and that's referenced in 2 Kings 16, verse 9.
• 8:21
  Daniel Moore: Commentators like Matthew Henry recognize this prophecy as more than a military warning.
• 8:27
  Daniel Moore: It reflects God's sovereignty over the nations and his judgment on those who oppose his purposes.
• 8:33
  Daniel Moore: Damascus, long a rival to Israel and Judah and allied with Israel during the Syro Ephraimite War in Isaiah 7, is singled out for destruction that fulfills divine justice.
• 8:46
  Daniel Moore: Verse 2, the cities of Auror are deserted.
• 8:51
  Daniel Moore: They will be for flocks which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
• 8:55
  Daniel Moore: Auror was a city near the border region of Aram, and possibly located along the Arnon River in Moabite territory.
• 9:04
  Daniel Moore: Although there is some academic debate whether this refers to the Moabite Aurora or a different northern location.
• 9:11
  Daniel Moore: But this verse here expresses the extent of devastation with formerly inhabited cities left so empty and safe from human threat that flocks will lie down there undisturbed.
• 9:22
  Daniel Moore: This poetic image amplifies the ruin predicted for Damascus and its surrounding territories.
• 9:28
  Daniel Moore: The absence of human activity and the pastoral tranquility for sheep imply complete desolation.
• 9:36
  Daniel Moore: John Calvin interprets this as a picture of how the arrogance and power of a mighty city can be reduced to nothingness when God brings judgment.
• 9:45
  Daniel Moore: This also reflects the recurring prophetic theme where prideful cities fall, and their places become suitable only for animals.
• 9:53
  Daniel Moore: And you can compare that with Zephaniah 214, or here in Isaiah in chapter 13, verses 20 to 21, regarding Babylon.
• 10:02
  Daniel Moore: In verse 3, it says, the fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.
• 10:14
  Daniel Moore: So here in verse 3, this ties the fate of Syria or Damascus to Ephraim, which is a poetic name for the northern kingdom of Israel.
• 10:23
  Daniel Moore: In the historical context, Israel and Syria had formed an alliance against Assyria and Judah.
• 10:29
  Daniel Moore: Both nations are now told their political and military power, symbolized by fortress and kingdom, would vanish.
• 10:37
  Daniel Moore: Interestingly, the remnant of Syria is compared to the glory of the children of Israel, which by this point was a fading glory due to the apostasy of Israel in the Assyrian invasions.
• 10:47
  Daniel Moore: Thus, it's an ironic comparison.
• 10:50
  Daniel Moore: Both will suffer the same fate.
• 10:53
  Daniel Moore: The Hebrew suggests sarcasm.
• 10:55
  Daniel Moore: Syria will be just like Israel, whose glory is declining.
• 10:59
  Daniel Moore: The pulpit commentary notes that this reflects prophetic unity in God's judgment across peoples.
• 11:05
  Daniel Moore: Both God's chosen Israel and foreign nations are held accountable.
• 11:09
  Daniel Moore: Ultimately, secular power fades when divorced from righteousness.
• 11:14
  Daniel Moore: As we jump to verse 4 here in chapter 17, we start about a judgment against Israel.
• 11:21
  Daniel Moore: It says, And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.
• 11:28
  Daniel Moore: Jacob here stands for the people of Israel, specifically the northern kingdom.
• 11:33
  Daniel Moore: The phrase in that day typically introduces a prophetic statement about divine judgment or future change.
• 11:40
  Daniel Moore: The glory of Jacob refers to Israel's national strength, prosperity, and cultural pride, which are described as being brought low.
• 11:49
  Daniel Moore: The imagery of the fat of his flesh growing lean suggests emaciation or wasting away.
• 11:54
  Daniel Moore: An economy and society once blessed, now declining due to their spiritual rebellion and misplaced trust in alliances rather than in God.
• 12:03
  Daniel Moore: Albert Barnes comments that this leanness is symbolic of discipline and humiliation, where God strips away earthly prosperity to draw his people to repentance.
• 12:14
  Daniel Moore: The Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC fulfills this as Israel was exiled, scattered, and its strength sapped.
• 12:24
  Daniel Moore: In a deep theological sense, this verse reveals that God disciplines even his covenant people when they forsake him.
• 12:32
  Daniel Moore: The lesson carries strong contemporary application.
• 12:35
  Daniel Moore: True strength and glory come only through obedience and faith in God.
• 12:40
  Daniel Moore: As we summarize these four verses, there are prophecy of judgment against Damascus, the capital of Syria and Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom of Israel.
• 12:51
  Daniel Moore: God declares that Damascus will be destroyed and reduced to ruins, and its surrounding cities will become desolate, inhabited only by flocks.
• 13:00
  Daniel Moore: Ephraim will lose its fortified defenses, and the kingdom of Damascus will come to an end, leaving only a weakened remnant.
• 13:07
  Daniel Moore: Both nations had allied against Judah, but are now facing the consequences of their pride and rebellion.
• 13:14
  Daniel Moore: The once glorious people of Jacob will grow weak and diminished, reflecting God's discipline on both foreign and covenant nations for their disobedience.
• 13:23
  Daniel Moore: As we move on to verse 5, it says, And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the valley of Raphaim.
• 13:36
  Daniel Moore: This verse begins a vivid agricultural metaphor describing the devastation that is to come upon Damascus and northern Israel, specifically Ephraim, as a result of divine judgment.
• 13:48
  Daniel Moore: Just as a harvester gathers the ripe grain, leaving only a few stalks or ears behind, so will the population be decimated and only a few survivors will remain.
• 13:58
  Daniel Moore: The valley of Raphaim was a fertile agricultural region near Jerusalem known for grain growing.
• 14:04
  Daniel Moore: The reference here intensifies the simile, drawing on a familiar image of harvest to portray judgment.
• 14:10
  Daniel Moore: Historical commentaries such as those from Matthew Henry and the Expositor's Bible commentary emphasize that this portrays a scene of thorough and methodical judgment.
• 14:20
  Daniel Moore: The Assyrians acting as the instrument of God's judgment would not leave much behind when they ravaged the land.
• 14:26
  Daniel Moore: The focus on gleaning, what's left after the first harvest, indicates that only a remnant of the people will survive this divine punishment.
• 14:36
  Daniel Moore: Now here's a side note about the Valley of Raphaim.
• 14:40
  Daniel Moore: It's also known as the Valley of the Raphaites, and it holds both historical and biblical significance.
• 14:47
  Daniel Moore: It is located to the southwest of Jerusalem and extends toward Bethlehem.
• 14:52
  Daniel Moore: The name Raphaim refers to an ancient people group who were known to be giants or of great stature and were among the original inhabitants of Canaan.
• 15:01
  Daniel Moore: Historically, the Raphaim were mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
• 15:06
  Daniel Moore: In Genesis 14:5, they are listed among the peoples defeated by Chadorlamor and his allies.
• 15:13
  Daniel Moore: In Deuteronomy 2, 10 and 11, and in Deuteronomy 3.11, they are described in connection with other giant peoples like the Anakim and Em.
• 15:22
  Daniel Moore: One notable figure associated with Raphaim is Og, King of Bashan, who was described as the last of the Raphaim and had an enormous iron bed in Deuteronomy 3.11.
• 15:34
  Daniel Moore: In the time of David, the valley of Raphaim was known as a strategic plain just outside Jerusalem.
• 15:41
  Daniel Moore: After David became king, the valley became the site of a major military encounter between him and the Philistines.
• 15:49
  Daniel Moore: In 2 Samuel 5, 17-25 and 1 Chronicles 14, 8-17, the Philistines came up and spread out in the valley of Raphaim.
• 15:58
  Daniel Moore: David sought guidance from God and defeated them there.
• 16:02
  Daniel Moore: This was an important victory that helped solidify David's kingdom and demonstrated his reliance on divine direction.
• 16:09
  Daniel Moore: Because of this, the valley came to signify not only former giants and ancestral peoples, but also divine triumph over enemies.
• 16:18
  Daniel Moore: The region's fertile land also made it suitable for agriculture, hence the references to gleaning and harvest in prophetic texts, such as we just read here in verse 5.
• 16:28
  Daniel Moore: The valley of Raphaim was historically inhabited by ancient peoples of great stature, later became a battleground during King David's time, and was agriculturally significant.
• 16:39
  Daniel Moore: Its name evokes memories of both the mysterious past inhabitants and God's decisive victories for his people.
• 16:46
  Daniel Moore: So questions been asked are the Raphaites known as the sons of God like the Nephilim?
• 16:53
  Daniel Moore: Well, the Raphaim, also called Raphaelites, are mentioned several times in the Old Testament as a race of giants or people of enormous stature who lived in the land before and during the early Israelite conquest of Canaan.
• 17:07
  Daniel Moore: However, they are not directly called the sons of God in the Bible.
• 17:11
  Daniel Moore: The term sons of God appears notably in Genesis 6, 1 through 4, where it says that the sons of God took wives from the daughters of men, and their offspring were the Nephilim, described as mighty men of old, men of renown.
• 17:25
  Daniel Moore: The passage states, The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.
• 17:36
  Daniel Moore: The identity of the sons of God in this context has been debated for centuries, with the three main interpretations.
• 17:44
  Daniel Moore: One interpretation is the fallen angels' view.
• 17:47
  Daniel Moore: This is traditional and ancient Jewish Christian view.
• 17:51
  Daniel Moore: This view holds that the sons of God were fallen angels who had relations with human women, producing a hybrid race, the Nephilim.
• 17:59
  Daniel Moore: Then there's the Sethite view.
• 18:01
  Daniel Moore: In this one, the sons of God are viewed as descendants of Seth, or the godly line, and the daughters of men as descendants of Cain, the ungodly line.
• 18:10
  Daniel Moore: Then there's the king or ruler's view.
• 18:13
  Daniel Moore: In this view, the sons of God were tyrannical rulers, or nobles, who took women as they pleased.
• 18:20
  Daniel Moore: Now while the Raphaim are sometimes associated with the idea of giants like the Nephilim, nowhere does the Bible directly equate the Raphaim with the Nephilim or call them the offspring of the sons of God.
• 18:31
  Daniel Moore: However, both are described as giant or fearsome people, and likely contributed to legends of ancient warriors or giants in biblical and extra-biblical traditions.
• 18:41
  Daniel Moore: There's also a few key scriptures that mention the Raphaim.
• 18:46
  Daniel Moore: Deuteronomy 2, verse 10 and 11 describes the Raphaim as great, tall, like the Anakim, and call them giants.
• 18:55
  Daniel Moore: Deuteronomy 311 speaks of King Og of Bashan as the last remaining Raphaelite, emphasizing his huge bed as a symbol of his massive size.
• 19:05
  Daniel Moore: In ancient Jewish tradition and extra biblical literature, there is more overlap between the ideas of the Nephilim, Raphaim, and other ancient giant beings.
• 19:15
  Daniel Moore: But in the canonical text of the Bible, the Raphaim are always described as ancient people of great size associated with the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land and not directly linked by Scripture to the sons of God in Genesis 6.
• 19:29
  Daniel Moore: While the Raphaim and the Nephilim are both associated with giant-like figures in the Bible, they are distinct groups.
• 19:36
  Daniel Moore: The Raphaim are not explicitly described as the offspring of the Son of God, though they are part of the broader biblical tradition of fearsome ancient peoples who inhabited the land before Israel.
• 19:49
  Daniel Moore: If remember back in chapter 14, we had the little bit deeper dive that we went into and we talked a little bit about some of the Nephilim and that kind of thing.
• 19:58
  Daniel Moore: So I just thought it'd be kind of cool to just look at that for a second, since we were talking about the valley of Raphaim, and they were also giant-like people, similar to the Nephilim.
• 20:07
  Daniel Moore: So now as we continue with our text, we go on to verse six.
• 20:11
  Daniel Moore: It says, Gleanings will be left in it as when an olive tree is beaten.
• 20:15
  Daniel Moore: Two or three berries in the top of the highest bow, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the Lord God of Israel.
• 20:23
  Daniel Moore: Building on the metaphor, this verse continues to evoke the image of thorough stripping, now using the olive tree.
• 20:31
  Daniel Moore: In ancient agregarian societies, olive trees were harvested by shaking or beating them so that the ripe fruit would fall.
• 20:39
  Daniel Moore: Inevitably, a little would remain at the very top.
• 20:42
  Daniel Moore: Those are the few that escape, symbolizing the remnant of people.
• 20:46
  Daniel Moore: This remnant theology is important in Isaiah.
• 20:49
  Daniel Moore: While most of the people will fall under judgment, a faithful few will remain by God's grace.
• 20:54
  Daniel Moore: Jewish commentators and Christian theologians alike, such as John Calvin and Jameson Fawcett Brown, note this verse's emphasis on God's sovereignty and mercy.
• 21:04
  Daniel Moore: Although judgment is coming, it is not total annihilation.
• 21:08
  Daniel Moore: Moreover, the Lord God of Israel is a declarative authority behind this prophecy, highlighting that judgment is not random, but a divine decree rooted in covenant justice.
• 21:20
  Daniel Moore: Verse 7: In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel.
• 21:27
  Daniel Moore: Here we see a turning point in the prophetic message, from judgment to spiritual renewal.
• 21:34
  Daniel Moore: The phrase in that day is often used in Isaiah to point towards a time of divine intervention or consequence.
• 21:40
  Daniel Moore: The judgment is purposed to produce repentance and restoration.
• 21:45
  Daniel Moore: Once idolatry and arrogance are judged, people will return to a right relationship with God.
• 21:51
  Daniel Moore: Where it says man will look to his maker, that indicates a newfound acknowledgement of God's sovereignty and role as creator and sustainer.
• 21:59
  Daniel Moore: The mention of the Holy One of Israel underscores God's transcendent and moral purity and is a title Isaiah often uses.
• 22:08
  Daniel Moore: You can look in other places such as Isaiah 1 4 and Isaiah 5, verses 19 and verse 24.
• 22:15
  Daniel Moore: Commentators such as Alec Mocher and the pulpit commentary note that Isaiah looks beyond the immediate judgment to a hopeful outcome, genuine recognition and reverence for God.
• 22:28
  Daniel Moore: Historically for Israel and Judah, this could allude to moments of renewal during Hezekiah's reign or after the exile, when idolatry was renounced to some degree and the worship of Yahweh was restored.
• 22:41
  Daniel Moore: In verse eight, he will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the ashram or the altars of incense.
• 22:51
  Daniel Moore: This verse further explains that repentance and renewal will involve a renunciation of idolatry.
• 22:59
  Daniel Moore: The people will stop trusting in human-made religious symbols and idols, the altars, asherum, or the Canaanite's goddess poles, often used in fertility worship, and incense altars, identified pagan worship practices that infiltrated Israelite religion.
• 23:16
  Daniel Moore: In the historical context, both Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom, had followed idolatrous practices, often borrowing heavily from Canaanite religious systems, including Baal worship.
• 23:28
  Daniel Moore: This verse indicates that part of the judgment's purpose is to turn people away from synchronism and back to exclusive worship of Yahweh.
• 23:37
  Daniel Moore: Commentators like John Oswalt and Killin De Leach affirm that the work of his hands is a condemnation not just of violations of Torah law, but of deeper spiritual corruption.
• 23:48
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah argues that man-made religion cannot save, and when divine judgment comes, people will abandon their false gods and return to the truth.
• 23:58
  Daniel Moore: As we summarize these last four verses, five through eight, they depict a scene of judgment leading to repentance.
• 24:05
  Daniel Moore: The metaphors of harvest and olive picking emphasize how few will remain, but those who do will experience spiritual renewal and reject idol worship to return to the true worship of the Holy One of Israel.
• 24:18
  Daniel Moore: This fits Isaiah's broader themes of judgment, remnant, and eventual restoration.
• 24:24
  Daniel Moore: As we move to verse nine, it says in that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.
• 24:37
  Daniel Moore: This verse speaks of desolation and abandonment as a result of divine judgment.
• 24:43
  Daniel Moore: In that day marks a prophetic pronouncement of major change, a common phrase in Isaiah pointing to a period of catastrophic judgment.
• 24:51
  Daniel Moore: The strong cities, once fortified and filled with people, are likened to abandoned places in the mountains and hilltops.
• 24:59
  Daniel Moore: Historically and contextually, this judgment refers to the fate of the northern kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim, and possibly also Damascus, which was Aram or Syria, both of whom had deformed an anti-Assyrian coalition.
• 25:13
  Daniel Moore: The reference to deserted places evokes images of past conquests and abandonments, possibly connecting to periods when Canaanite or Amorite populations fled before the advancing Israelites during the conquest of Judah, which was talked about in Joshua chapter 11, verse 3 to 13.
• 25:30
  Daniel Moore: These once proud cities are now inhabited only by ruins.
• 25:35
  Daniel Moore: Kill and Delich observed that the text reminds Israelites that just as their forefathers forced the pagans to vacate their strongholds by divine judgment, now Israel's cities will face a similar fate, reversing the conquest because of their own apostasy.
• 25:51
  Daniel Moore: The desolation is not caused by military might alone, but by divine intervention in response to covenant unfaithfulness.
• 25:59
  Daniel Moore: As we move on to verse ten, for you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the rock of your refuge.
• 26:07
  Daniel Moore: Therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine branch of a stranger.
• 26:12
  Daniel Moore: Though you make them grow in the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.
• 26:22
  Daniel Moore: That was verse eleven.
• 26:23
  Daniel Moore: They both go together, so we're going to cover them both together here.
• 26:26
  Daniel Moore: Verse ten explains the cause of the judgment spiritual apostasy.
• 26:32
  Daniel Moore: The people have forgotten the God of your salvation, and they also failed to remember the rock of your refuge, two titles that highlight God's past deliverance and protection.
• 26:41
  Daniel Moore: Their forgetfulness is not merely intellectual, but spiritual neglect that led them to distrust and disobedience.
• 26:48
  Daniel Moore: The last part of the verse here in 10 introduces the metaphor of horticulture.
• 26:53
  Daniel Moore: Though they plant pleasant flora, the vine branch of a stranger, suggests foreign practices or allegiances, possibly symbolic of idolatry or reliance on foreign nations for political support, such as alliances with pagan nations like Egypt or Assyria.
• 27:09
  Daniel Moore: Some scholars, such as John Calvin and the Expositor's Bible Commentary, view this as Israel's attempt to prosper through worldly means instead of trusting God.
• 27:19
  Daniel Moore: This language parallels the idea of cultivating something unnatural and inappropriate, actions taken on their own terms contrary to God's will, attempting to produce results without divine blessing.
• 27:32
  Daniel Moore: Verse 11 continues the agricultural metaphor to emphasize the futility of rebellion against God.
• 27:39
  Daniel Moore: Even though they may see quick growth, which was noted thereby on the day that you plant them, the expected positive outcome or the harvest will not materialize.
• 27:49
  Daniel Moore: The phrase harvest will flee away expresses stark disappointment and loss.
• 27:54
  Daniel Moore: Efforts will fail when judgment arrives.
• 27:57
  Daniel Moore: The language also suggests a false sense of security.
• 28:01
  Daniel Moore: Everything seems to be working, but only temporarily.
• 28:04
  Daniel Moore: It illustrates deceptive growth, not rooted in righteousness or divine blessing, and thus not enduring.
• 28:11
  Daniel Moore: Alec Mother notes that the grief and pain are not just emotional but national and covenantal, reflecting the sorrow of a people who trusted in false sources of strength.
• 28:22
  Daniel Moore: The phrase incurable pain underscores the severity and finality of the judgment.
• 28:28
  Daniel Moore: It will be unstoppable and deeply wounding, especially since it results from deliberate spiritual neglect.
• 28:35
  Daniel Moore: Verse twelve.
• 28:37
  Daniel Moore: Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea.
• 28:43
  Daniel Moore: Ah, the roar of nations, they roar like the moaring of mighty waters.
• 28:48
  Daniel Moore: This verse introduces a poetic and terrifying image of a massive and chaotic threat approaching, usually interpreted as the advancing Assyrian army, though possibly representative of any hostile foreign powers God uses for judgment.
• 29:03
  Daniel Moore: The verse uses similes tied to nature, the sea and the mighty waters, symbols of uncontrollable power and chaos in their Eastern thought.
• 29:12
  Daniel Moore: The word awe is a Hebrew interjection, or in Hebrew hoi, often used in prophetic literature to express alarm, mourning, or attention.
• 29:22
  Daniel Moore: By repeating the description of roaring and thunder, the prophet intensifies the sense of looming crisis.
• 29:28
  Daniel Moore: Contextually, this sets the stage for demonstrating both the terror of oncoming nations and God's ultimate control over them, as is going to be seen here shortly in verse 13.
• 29:38
  Daniel Moore: The tumult of nations may seem overwhelming, but it is God who allows and contains their movements.
• 29:45
  Daniel Moore: The pulpit commentary in Alec Mother emphasized that ancient people feared ungoverned water, and Isaiah leverages that imagery here for impeding military devastation.
• 29:56
  Daniel Moore: Summarizing verses nine through twelve, they continue the theme of divine judgment on Israel and its neighbors for idolatry and forgetting God.
• 30:05
  Daniel Moore: The outcome is desolation, failed efforts, and the looming threat of foreign powers, all under God's sovereign governance.
• 30:12
  Daniel Moore: The final two verses here, starting with thirteen, the nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chase like chaff on the mountains before the wind, and whirling dust before the storm.
• 30:28
  Daniel Moore: This verse is a continuation of the imagery introduced in verse twelve, but now reveals the sovereign intervention of God.
• 30:35
  Daniel Moore: Though the nations roar, which is powerful, terrifying, overwhelming like many waters, God will speak and they will scatter.
• 30:44
  Daniel Moore: This is a picture of divine control over tumultuous geopolitical events.
• 30:49
  Daniel Moore: The image of roaring waters symbolizes invading nations or armies, many commentators agreeing that this refers primarily to the Assyrians who were the dominant threat during Isaiah's time.
• 31:01
  Daniel Moore: The frequent identification of nations as turbulent seas in Isaiah, you can see other instances of this in Isaiah 8, 7 and 8, and then we'll see it again in Isaiah 57, verse 20, reflects fear of uncontrolled invasion, chaos, and destruction.
• 31:17
  Daniel Moore: However, the phrase he will rebuke them is key.
• 31:21
  Daniel Moore: This is divine language.
• 31:23
  Daniel Moore: God's word is sufficient to drive the enemies away.
• 31:26
  Daniel Moore: Similar terminology is found in Psalm 1815 and Psalm 1047, where God rebukes elements of nature.
• 31:34
  Daniel Moore: The word rebuke, or in Hebrew gaar, conveys the power of God's authority of speech to subdue and control.
• 31:41
  Daniel Moore: The fleeing of the nations like chaff on the mountain before the wind and whirling dust before the storm deepens the contrast between their apparent might and their actual fragility.
• 31:53
  Daniel Moore: Chaff is the worthless byproduct of the threshing process, easily blown away, and dust is directionless against strong wind.
• 32:02
  Daniel Moore: This metaphor emphasizes not only the swiftness with which God can dispatch the enemies, but also their ultimate powerlessness against his decree.
• 32:11
  Daniel Moore: Kill and Delitch write that even the mightiest host is no more than dust or chaff when God arises.
• 32:18
  Daniel Moore: John Calvin similarly comments that although men and powers appear imposing, a single act of God's will overturn them.
• 32:26
  Daniel Moore: Historically, this prophecy may allude to events like the sudden destruction of the Sumerian army in seven hundred one BC during Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem, which we're going to get to in chapter thirty seven of Isaiah, when God miraculously defended the city.
• 32:43
  Daniel Moore: And the final verse here, verse fourteen.
• 32:46
  Daniel Moore: At evening time, behold terror.
• 32:49
  Daniel Moore: Before morning they are no more.
• 32:51
  Daniel Moore: This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us.
• 32:56
  Daniel Moore: This verse delivers a dramatic and decisive conclusion to the stanza.
• 33:01
  Daniel Moore: There is a call to observe a sudden reversal.
• 33:04
  Daniel Moore: The enemy appears at evening, bringing terror, but by morning they are gone, destroyed, vanished.
• 33:11
  Daniel Moore: The structure shows the swiftness and completeness of divine judgment.
• 33:16
  Daniel Moore: The phrase at evening time, behold terror, implies the arrival of enemy forces with an overwhelming presence and threat.
• 33:24
  Daniel Moore: But before morning they are no more speaks of their sudden and complete rout, alluding again to deliverance by divine intervention.
• 33:31
  Daniel Moore: The historical context strongly points again to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib during Hezekiah's reign, when according to Isaiah 37, 36, the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 men in a single night.
• 33:46
  Daniel Moore: What seemed as an unassailable threat was wiped out in hours.
• 33:51
  Daniel Moore: The concluding lines, this is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us, draw a moral and theological lesson.
• 34:00
  Daniel Moore: Any who seek to plunder or oppress God's people will ultimately meet divine justice.
• 34:05
  Daniel Moore: This portion or lot is a verdict upon aggressors acting against God's covenant community.
• 34:12
  Daniel Moore: The Expositor's Bible commentary explains that this verse encapsulates a theme in Isaiah and across the prophets.
• 34:19
  Daniel Moore: Though Isaiah may be judged and oppressed for a time, God is still sovereign and just, and he will not allow hostile powers to go unpunished forever.
• 34:28
  Daniel Moore: Alec Mocher notes the poetic rendering of divine justice.
• 34:32
  Daniel Moore: It is not just deliverance but a reversal.
• 34:35
  Daniel Moore: Those who sought to terrorize are themselves terrified and destroyed.
• 34:40
  Daniel Moore: The verse thus serves as both a warning to aggressors and a comfort to the faithful remnant, showing that night may bring fear, but the morning bring God's victory.
• 34:51
  Daniel Moore: Summarizing those last two verses, God's sovereign power over the nation is summarized in verse thirteen and fourteen.
• 34:58
  Daniel Moore: Despite their noisy and threatening approach, described as the roar of many waters, God rebukes them and they flee like chaff in the wind.
• 35:06
  Daniel Moore: Their destruction is sudden and complete.
• 35:09
  Daniel Moore: Terror comes in the evening, but by morning they are gone.
• 35:13
  Daniel Moore: The swift judgment is the fate of those who attack and plunder God's people, showing that while threats may arise rapidly, God's justice brings decisive deliverance.
• 35:24
  Daniel Moore: All of our resources are there.
• 35:56
  Daniel Moore: You can purchase this book.
• 35:57
  Daniel Moore: There's also other resources for marriage that you can purchase there as well.
• 36:01
  Daniel Moore: There's also a forum on the website.
• 36:04
  Daniel Moore: You can reach out to us if you have any questions, any comments about the episodes, anything you'd like to add to them, we'd love to hear from you.
• 36:10
  Daniel Moore: And you can do all of that and more at connectingthegap.net.
• 36:15
  Daniel Moore: Well, as we wrap up this week, Isaiah 17 is a prophetic oracle concerning the judgment of Damascus, the capital of Syria, and includes warning to Israel, specifically the northern kingdom, often called Ephraim.
• 36:28
  Daniel Moore: The chapter outlines the destruction of these nations due to their pride, idolatry, and forgetting the Lord.
• 36:35
  Daniel Moore: At the same time, it includes images of a small remnant returning to God, suggesting hope and spiritual renewal following judgment.
• 36:43
  Daniel Moore: The chapter begins by predicting the ruin of Damascus, which would no longer be a functional city.
• 36:49
  Daniel Moore: It then turns to Israel, which would suffer significant loss and devastation.
• 36:54
  Daniel Moore: Cities would be deserted, and the land would be thoroughly stripped, comparing the process to a harvest where very little remains.
• 37:02
  Daniel Moore: This desolation comes because the people have forgotten God, their Savior and rock.
• 37:08
  Daniel Moore: Their trust in idols and foreign alliances instead of God results in their failure.
• 37:13
  Daniel Moore: The final verses twelve through fourteen depict the nations rising against God's people like a roaring sea, but God swiftly rebukes them.
• 37:21
  Daniel Moore: Their might and noise are temporary, and they are easily scattered by God's word.
• 37:26
  Daniel Moore: The chapter ends with a powerful reminder that those who seek to plunder God's people will themselves be destroyed.
• 37:33
  Daniel Moore: As we look at this chapter, we can apply it to us today.
• 37:39
  Daniel Moore: First of all, we can trust in God and not human strength.
• 37:43
  Daniel Moore: Just as Israel and Damascus trusted in political alliances and idols over God, people today often rely on wealth, power, or human solutions instead of seeking God's guidance.
• 37:54
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah warns us against misplaced trust.
• 37:58
  Daniel Moore: Secondly, God judges forgetfulness and idolatry.
• 38:02
  Daniel Moore: Forgetting God led to the downfall of nations.
• 38:05
  Daniel Moore: In a modern context, when God is sidelined in personal or national life, it can result in moral decay and instability.
• 38:13
  Daniel Moore: Thirdly, there's hope for the faithful remnant.
• 38:17
  Daniel Moore: Even in judgment, there is mercy.
• 38:19
  Daniel Moore: Isaiah reminds us that a small group returns to the Lord.
• 38:23
  Daniel Moore: Today, this encourages believers to stay faithful even during times of widespread drift from God.
• 38:30
  Daniel Moore: And the fourth thing we can take away from chapter 17, God's sovereignty over nations.
• 38:36
  Daniel Moore: No matter how threatening the powers of the world may appear, God ultimately controls history.
• 38:42
  Daniel Moore: His voice alone can rebuke empires, and he defends his people in his timing.
• 38:48
  Daniel Moore: This chapter serves as both a sobering warning and a hopeful reminder that only God's strength endures.
• 38:55
  Daniel Moore: It calls us to examine where we place our trust and to stay anchored in faith, even when surrounded by uncertainty or opposition.
• 39:04
  Daniel Moore: Well, that's gonna do it for this week's episode.
• 39:08
  Daniel Moore: Next week, when we come back, we'll be to chapter 18 in our verse-by-verse study in Isaiah.
• 39:14
  Daniel Moore: But for this week, we're gonna head out of here.
• 39:17
  Daniel Moore: And as we go, we believe that God's word never fails us.
• 39:21
  Daniel Moore: God's word has stood the test of time, and through Jesus' death on the cross, he has connected the gap.
• 39:26
  Daniel Moore: This episode is recorded in the upper room at our Connecting the Gap Studios.
• 39:30
  Daniel Moore: This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries.
• 39:33
  Daniel Moore: We pray that you have a blessed week.