Isaiah Lesson 23

Good afternoon, welcome again as we're here gathered together. This is our

Isaiah study, we have folks here in the sanctuary and it's always exciting to see people coming out and I know that there will be people watching us in their family rooms so we say hi to you all.

So we're in the 23rd lesson, can you believe that? That will mean we'll probably have over 100 at this rate.

At this rate. 66 chapters. Yeah, at this rate we're in Isaiah 14, so yeah we'll be at this for a while.

But we're in Isaiah 14, we're going to be looking to do the first 11 verses, we'll stop right before we get, how are you fallen from heaven, oh day star, that'll be next week.

And so just as a little tease, we are going to talk some of the theology of Satan next week, that's going to be part of next week's lesson.

But right now and this week we're looking at a section in the middle of the oracles.

So the oracles are basically Isaiah 13 up through 23 where the oracle, it's a burden, it's a heavy message and God is proclaiming judgment against ungodliness in this section.

Interleaved within these 11 chapters are messages of hope, messages actually of encouragement, messages that the nation of Israel would really benefit in hearing and specifically right now we're in the middle of a discussion on Babylon and so in the middle of this we do see the reality that God is faithful to his promises.

So with that as an opening opening, Pastor Jeff, give us a prayer please. Okay, so Father thank you for your promises, great and precious promises have been given unto us.

Thank you that all your promises are yes and amen, that you are faithful to your word and Lord though we are often faithless you remain faithful and will never disown yourself.

We thank you for your word to us today and ask that we would be open to your word even as the word is open to us

God. We thank you that you are here with us and ask that you would do a work in each of our hearts as we study your word in Jesus name, amen.

Amen, so here's the deal we are as the weeks have progressed the people in the sanctuary are sitting further and further back.

So what that means is that this little tiny microphone we have on the table it's not picking you all up.

We are trying to come up with a solution where we could perhaps put microphones in the middle of the chairs so that as people speak up they'll be picked up on the film but for now it's not.

So for those of you who are watching us on video we do like to have people participate in the readings and I've noticed that when

I listen to the video after the fact you really can't hear what's being said.

I think both Jeff and I try to repeat comments that are made that contribute to the lesson so that people on the video can hear it.

But if we pass out a passage reading we're not going to necessarily repeat the reading so I encourage you if you're watching on a video and for instance

I'm going to ask Kimberly if you would get Exodus 19 ready and Revelation 7

Bob I'm going to ask you to have that ready and Ezekiel 36 that's not on the paper

Ezekiel 36 22 to 27 Carol I'm going to have you get that ready.

So if you're watching on Zoom and it sounds like there's nothing going on and it's dead silence that's your cue to open up your scripture and perhaps read the passage that's being read here.

But I want to start out with Deuteronomy 7 and Pastor Jeff I'm going to have you pull that out

Deuteronomy 7 6 through 11 what I want to do is I want to set an understanding of God's faithfulness to his promises.

He's faithful and he's compassionate to those that he has made promises to and in two specific ways as we get started in this because it starts in Isaiah chapter 14 at verse 7 it says the

Lord will have compassion on Jacob and he will again choose Israel and will set them in their own land.

There's an indication there that God has already made these promises God has already blessed the nation of Israel in this way but then there's this word he will again and that really implies that there's a perception that perhaps the nation has fallen out of favor and the truth is that they've never fallen out of favor perhaps they've lost that experience but they've never fallen out of favor

Deuteronomy 7 6 through 11. For you are a people holy to the

Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you for you were the fewest of all peoples.

But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the

Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keeps his commandments to a thousand generations and repays to their face those who hate him by destroying them.

He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.

You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

The Shema of Israel know the Lord your God he is God that's a it's a it's a proclamation it's it's there's no conditions to that the

Lord your God he is God there is a there's a there's an understanding that God's choice choice of Israel had nothing to do with their value it had nothing to do with the fact that they were a unique people it was his choice and it's his love and it's his faithfulness and it's his covenant now

Deuteronomy 28 is going to express some realities if you follow my commands these are the blessings but if you do not follow my commands these are the curses in fact when the nation of Israel enters into the promised land they start out at Jericho and they have a tremendous victory at God's hand then they go to camp and there's sin and so they fail at Ai but then they get right with God and they have a victory at God's hand through Ai and then they march north to the two mountains and they were told when they get into the promised land go to these two mountains and set up on one and proclaim the blessings and on the other proclaim the curses and between them the

Ark of the Covenant so the people understand and they realize the reality of what what is happening but they are

God's chosen people that is that is his doing if we go to Exodus 19 1 to 6

I think Kimberly you've got that did

I hand out Isaiah 9 I don't remember did okay in Isaiah 9 and we've already gone through this months ago now verses 8 and 9 we do understand that the nation of Israel was exhibit exhibiting an arrogance in their heart and God calls them and he and he and he exhorts them we get into verse 13 and verses 18 and 19 it's proclaimed that God's anger is not going to turn

God's anger is not going to come back void the people because of their arrogance of heart and because of their unwillingness to turn are now in a situation of they are going to be judged because God is holy he is a loving and merciful

God but he is holy and because of that justice must be and so it would appear for a time because we do know in 586

BC in reaction to the fact that the people desecrate the temple they get down to that point the

Shekinah glory leaves and now the gates are open and Babylon conquers and they're taken captive taken captive for 70 years it says in here the

Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel and set them in their own land

Ezekiel 36 who did I give that to Carol please 22 to 27 there's so much in that passage it's

God's healing healing grace into the heart of man that has gone away from him and and the restoration there's also in that passage all the nations are going to see this the the manifestation of God's gracious love and restoration it's evidence to all all of creation we get into Revelation chapter 7

I've jumped way ahead in time the nation goes into captivity they come out of captivity they do build the temple a second time and even that temple unfortunately is in is made bigger by Herod to where this majesticness of it is but then in 70

AD the siege of Jerusalem and and and again the temple not a stone is left on top of the on top of another and then there's this period of time where the nation of Israel in this regard it has been has been lost and and right now we have what we call the

Church Age but we get into Revelation chapter 7 as we're in this time of of tribulation all 12 tribes are brought back called by name sealed by God made his special people again there is this reality that I will again choose

Israel and I don't think that's a mistake when in this particular section it says

I again will choose Israel because remember at this point in time when this is written we have the northern kingdom and we have the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom goes into captivity and are basically lost the southern kingdom goes to Babylon they come back again but this actually says

I will again choose Israel and in Revelation 7 all 12 tribes his people come back again and it says

I will set them on their own land this is a huge promise because for a long time

Israel had no national land 1948 was it where where Israel was reestablished but I want you to understand something this is an amazing hand of God it's partial fulfillment if you look at Genesis 12 one it's it's

God telling Abram I want you to go to a land that I will give to you he had no idea where he was going except that he was leaving or the

Chaldees but he was going to be sent somewhere in Genesis 13

Barb I'm going to ask you to pull out Genesis 13 verses 14 and 15 what happens is

Lot has been in the midst of evil he's been captured

Abram rallies the forces and recovers Lot their herds are almost too big for them to occupy the same land and Abram says you choose which way seems best to you and I will go the other way and Lot chooses the fertile and leaves the rest for Abram thinking perhaps that he had gotten the better deal but in reality

God had in his sovereignty had already put this in place Genesis 13 14 and 15 there is an a massive vista of view that Abram would have been able to have seen this is the land that God has planned for him in fact if you go to Genesis 15 starting in verse 18 there are some specifics it goes from the

Great River of Egypt to the River Euphrates and then it talks about the land of all of these nations it's expansive to the north you realize how far to the east this land is that God has ordained that belongs to his people they're not there yet they're not there yet but it says here

I will set them in their own land there is a time when what what God has promised is going to be made true for the people we now have these oracles that are given starting in chapter 13 and it goes from 13 to 23 and they're against the evil that's going on within humanity you will see in progression over the next many chapters

Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Edom, Arabia, Tyre and in the middle of this in verse chapter 22 is an oracle against the

Valley of Vision that will be a fun one I don't know if you get that one or I do we'll see when when the time comes but here's the thing right now we're looking at the oracle against Babylon now probably the best place to see the panoramic picture of how

God calls Babylon and and we go back to to pastor

Jeff you spoke a while ago about it was a compatibilism yes in essence what was compatibilism the compatibility of free not free will but creaturely will and God having a decree having a sovereign predestined plan that he's working out in history but those two things are not actually against each other that both of them do fit and how does

Babylon fit into that discussion well Babylon would be decreed to first of all get wrecked by the

Assyrians because God is using the Assyrians as a tool against them but then later they will be the instrument of his judgment if you go into Habakkuk in the beginning in chapter 1 verses 1 to 7 you've got you've got the

Prophet looking around at the evil that's in the land so this is before is before the exile and he basically says

God I don't know if you're watching but things are going really bad are you gonna do something about this and then in chapter 1 verses 12 to 13 well actually in 1 to 7

God says you're right it is bad I'm gonna send the Chaldeans that's the Babylonians that horrible vile nation to which the the the the

Prophet then in verses 12 and 13 in the beginning of of chapter 2 says you got to be kidding this is a loose paraphrase you gotta be kidding you're gonna you're gonna use them on top of us this is this this is this can't be right and then in chapter 2 so I will stand on my watch and see what the

Lord has to say then in chapter 2 verses 12 and 14 God starts to proclaim yes

I'm going to use them but I am going to judge them I am going to hold them accountable

Jeff talks about the compatibilism that God uses them sovereignly but yet in their own creaturely will their wickedness mandates that a holy

God execute judgment yeah well now we have the oracles starting in chapter 13 of Isaiah I do love

Habakkuk 2 20 Bob Zellum and Habakkuk 319

Neva if you could read those for us please Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 20

I that's one of these things that you can put on a little index card and put on your refrigerator or whatever and have a stack of them and rotate him huh the

Lord is in his holy temple that all the earth keeps silent before him we are in a section here of this oracle against Babylon they've done what

God has ordained that they should do but they are a wicked people and God is in his holy temple and we're going to see how

God is going to remain faithful through all of this 319 please Neva the

Lord God is is my strength and that's another one of these great little index cards things the nation of Israel at this point in time in Isaiah is is going through some some severe rebellion against God they're in the land but they're not retaining devotion to Yahweh and the proclamations that are here are meant to draw them back but in the middle of it

God God assures them that the wickedness of the world is going to be judged and you you are going to be remembered but God is a sovereign he is a holy

God he is a just God okay 14 verses 1 to 3 please

Jeff for the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose

Israel and will set them in their own land and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob and the peoples will take them and bring them to their place and the house of Israel will possess them in the

Lord's land as male and female slaves they will take captive those who were their captors and rule over those who oppress them when the

Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve so we've got a promise there is a implied within this paragraph the perception of having lost this special blessings from God because there's this phrase

I will again again choose Israel I will have compassion and again and I will set them in in their land in the midst of this we've got to ask ourself when when will this one take place is it the post -exile period the nation is going to go into exile for 70 years and those 70 years become an interesting challenge because they were brought in and the original approach as they came in there was to do everything that they could do to have

Israel lose their national identity to set them up as if they could be amalgamated and brought into the culture of where they were where we're gonna be think of Daniel okay chosen as one of the finest of the young he and his friends

I know them as mash rack she'd rack and a better what are their

Jewish names thank you I knew you knew that but they were given the opportunity to eat of the best foods to be taught of the best to be given the best but they stood true to Yahweh I'm saying that because there was this temptation to not remain faithful and and I also know this because in a time of Nehemiah the decree is written that the

Jews could go back this is now after 70 years the Jews could go back and rebuild the temple and we know that not everybody took the opportunity and you have to ask yourself well why not it was perhaps because they were comfortable in the life they had and they had gotten comfortable eventually under Ezra another another return takes place but at the end of all of this exile the the land is set is that the fulfillment of this

I I don't think so it doesn't work so now we move way ahead until the ex eschaton the end of time where God has now recalled all 12 tribes

Revelation 7 he's going to come and he's going to rule on earth and there is going to be this period of time where his saints are actually going to rule the reality is that it was always

God's plan through Abram for the whole world to be blessed

I know this because of Genesis 1 through 3 I'm gonna go over here

Ralph if you would read Genesis 1 through 3 rich I'm gonna ask you to get

Isaiah 56 6 through 8 ready please did

I say 1 I meant 12 thank you Genesis 12 1 2 3 thank you Bob yeah that doesn't sound like the right one that 12 1 2 3 that's

Exodus 12 I generally go with it until I figure out

I can't work with it there we go all right all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and I there's there's promises that carry on through the

New Testament that that the promise to Abraham God intended the promise to to mankind

Isaiah 56 you have that yes please he is going to call the outcasts of Israel he's going to call the exile of Israel the scattered of Israel but he's also calling humanity the nations back to him there's a time where God's judgment has has been held but then there's this time of God's mercy and calling all humanity that will respond to caught to him is called to come back in and it says and the people will take and bring them their place and the house of Israel will possess in the

Lord's land as male and female they will take captive those who were captors this gets a little bit tougher what does he mean thereby those who were the captors will be held captive it's it's not necessarily clear that he means servitude so much that is he means that in his design and the

Millennial Kingdom there will be a reign God will be reigned supreme and then there'll be those who stand under him actually ruling

Revelation 20 verse 4 it talks about those who are on the thrones who reigned with Christ in the

Millennium now there's a debate is that just the Jews is it the

Jews and the saints who persevere through but let's talk about that we're now talking about the fullness of the true he is a

Jew truly who was one who circumcised of the heart so truly there's going to be a point time where Jesus as King there will be those sitting on the thrones that's really the picture we have here no longer are those who call on the name of God going to be oppressed and put under the thumb of the nations who hold obedience to the

Prince and power of the air walking according to the principle of the spear fulfilling the lust no longer is that going to be the rule in the domain and and what is it will now be

Christ with his Saints ruling and the rest of the nations will be there now remember there's going to be a point in time in the

Millennium and I don't know when it is but I would say that on day one of the millennial reign it's purely believers because those who that's who gets to enter into the millennial ring so I don't know when it is but at some point in time we're going to have offsprings and not all offsprings are going to accept

Christ we know that as we get to the end of the millennial account and they will have a sin nature but here's the thing in all the rule will be

Christ and his Saints ruling ruling under him there will be that time where they're no longer oppressed give me four through six please you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon how the oppressor has ceased the insolent fury ceased the

Lord has broken the staff of the wicked the scepter of rulers one more verse that struck the people's in wrath with unceasing blows that ruled the nation's in anger with unrelenting persecution some trust in horses and others trust in chariots but I trust in the

Lord God you got little David who after all of the mighty fighters of Israel looked at this guy

Goliath and said I don't think so and David said

I'll do it in the name of the Lord I'll do it and so they tried to put armor on him and give him the shield and the spear of the mighty fighters but he was too small and he said

I don't need any of that I'm going out with the sling and stones in the name of the Lord and you

Goliath you're mine because Jesus God God breaks down the power of the oppressor that's where it comes

I don't have to trust in anything else seven through eleven the whole earth is at rest and quiet they break forth into singing the

Cypresses rejoice at you the cedars of Lebanon saying since you were laid low no woodcutter comes up against us she'll beneath us is stirred up to meet you when you come it rouses the shades to greet you all who were leaders of the earth it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nation's all of them will answer and say to you you too have become as weak as we you have become like us your pomp is brought down to shield the sound of your harps maggots are laid as a bed beneath you and worms are your covers man the picture of the earth is going to turn at rest because all of these self righteous self building up people are going to be coming nothing more than maggots and worms they become weak

God God is going to have can have victory I wanted to close off our time

I I think we've got enough time to to take this reality that as the nation of Israel experiences oppression under the nation of Babylon God calls them and Babylon Babylon is going to be ruled because of it he does promise that I will have compassion on them and there again

I will choose Israel and then again I will set them on their own land Matthew chapter 5 verse 3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven those people who are not self haughty those people who don't puff themselves up because they're all that those people who don't rely on their strength of their religion blessed are the poor in spirit theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted those who see that there really is sin and are torn down in front of the throne of God and say woe was me like Isaiah when he was in chapter 6 is it and he and he said what was me

I'm a man of unclean lips and and what what does God do he has an angel take a hot coal from the fire then and touches his lips blessed are those who mourn because of the heaviness of their sin they will be comforted blessed are the gentle or the meek depending on on who you're which version they will inherit the earth it's not those who think that they're gonna stand powerfully against Babylon or whatever else it is blessed are those who are meek and have this gentle spirit he does it says they will inherit the earth it says here that again he's going to choose

Israel and set them in their land and the captors are now going to be their slaves blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness it doesn't mean that I have to have things and it doesn't mean that I need to have vindication for who

I am or validation for what I do blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that is when you get filled blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy instead of standing up in opposition when the times are hard blessed are the merciful who are willing to take that difficult phone call and turn it into mercy and gentleness blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they will see

God you see the nation of Israel fighting and being hit hard by the nation of Babylon God says what do

I require of you what do I seek from you I I don't need an

Isaiah 1 I'm tired of your empty sacrifices and in fact even when you pray

I won't listen what does God want he wants the heart so blessed are the pure in heart for they will see

God blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God at the end of time

God is going to fight the fight that needs to be done God is the holy just God by the way the nation of Israel needs to be cleansed going into the

Millennial Kingdom and he's going to do that blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of God and blessed are you when you're persecuted because of Christ's sake for yours is the kingdom of heaven

Babylon is coming and Babylon is going to have their way we know that from the book of Habakkuk and they're a nasty nasty group of people but but God is

God and God is sovereign I'm gonna close with Psalm 37 7

Dave Reynolds if you would give us Psalm 37 7 please that is a great verse

I was looking for something that said God in his holy righteousness okay no that is right that was my summation through all of what we have here

Israel Israel has the promise that God is who is righteous and faithful nation of Israel will be punished nation of Israel is going to go through tough times but he is again going to choose them he is faithful God is faithful he is again going to restore his people and because of that we have confidence in God we have confidence in God's sovereignty well want us to stand encouraged in the midst of these oracles and this one against Babylon that God sees it he is going to put down those evil nations for their wickedness and at the same time he is going to lift his people back up again do you want to give us a prayer please sure so God we do look to you as the righteous judge of all the earth and we tremble at your power and how holy you are that you would judge sin we know fallen fallen is

Babylon the great as man builds empires both politically and religiously

God these will fall before your throne and so we we have no fear of them our fear is you alone

God you are our fear and you are our love your perfect love casts out fear