17Soon—and it will not be very long—the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fruitful field again, a lush and fertile forest. 18In that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness, the blind will see my plans. 19The meek will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord, and the poor shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 20Bullies will vanish and scoffers will cease, and all those plotting evil will be killed—21the violent man who fights at the drop of a hat, the man who waits in hiding to beat up the judge who sentenced him, and the men who use any excuse to be unfair.
22That is why the Lord
who redeemed Abraham says: “My people will no longer pale with fear or be
ashamed. 23For when they see the surging birthrate and the expanding
economy,b
then they will fear and rejoice in my name; they will praise the Holy One of
Israel and stand in awe of him. 24Those in error will believe the
truth, and complainers will be willing to be taught![1]
4 (29:17–24) Prophecy, Concerning Israel, a Glorious Transformation—the Kingdom of Christ:
OUTLINE | SCRIPTURE |
4. God’s promise of a glorious transformation in the future: The future kingdom of Christ a. The earth will be transformed | 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? |
b. The disabled will be healed | 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. |
c. The humble & poor will rejoice: Be exalted & provided for | 19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. |
d. The truth of righteousness & justice will prevail 1) The evildoers of this earth will be removed & judged | 20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: |
2) The false witnesses & corrupt lawyers, judges & leaders—all will be removed & punished | 21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. |
e. The attitude of Israel (God’s people) will be totally changed 1) They will no longer be ashamed nor grow pale with fear | 22 Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
|
2) They will acknowledge the Lord, that it is He who truly blesses them 3) They will live righteously & keep God’s name holy 4) They will worship the Lord | 23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. |
5) They will no longer go astray or complain but will accept the truth (God’s Word) & grow in the Lord | 24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. |
a)
The earth will be transformed (v. 17).
Lebanon, which had been devastated by the Assyrians, will be turned into a
fertile field. And the fertile fields that had been devastated will grow huge
forests. Simply stated, the earth will be turned into a paradise for both
people and animals.
b)
The disabled will be healed (v. 18).
For the first time, the deaf will be able to hear the Word of God as it is
read. The eyes of the blind will be opened, and they will be able to see.
c)
The humble and poor will rejoice in the Lord
(v.
19). The humble will be exalted, and the poor will have all their needs
met. God will generously provide His people with housing, food, clothing, and
all the other necessities of life (Mt. 6:33).
d)
The ruthless will be taken away. All
the false witnesses and dishonest lawyers, judges, leaders, and all others who
are corrupt will face the terrifying judgment of God. They will be punished and
removed from the earth. Righteousness and justice will rule over all the earth
(vs.
20–21).
e) Another marvelous change that the Messiah’s kingdom will bring is a change of attitude. The mindset of God’s chosen people will be totally transformed (vs. 22–24). Five specific changes will take place in the Jews:
1)
They will no longer be shamed by those
who mock, ridicule, abuse, persecute, or oppress them. No evil person will
be left on earth to strike fear in the hearts of those who truly follow the Lord.
No longer will their faces grow pale in fear, for they will be redeemed just as
the Lord redeemed Abraham.
2)
They will finally acknowledge that it is
the Lord who truly blesses them (v. 23a). Witnessing the
phenomenal transformation taking place on earth, they will realize that they
themselves are the work of God’s hands. He had truly chosen them to be the
channel through whom He would send His Word and the Messiah into the world.
Thus they will turn to the Lord, acknowledging Christ as the true Messiah.
3)
They will join all other believers in
living righteously and keeping God’s name holy (v. 23b). No longer will
they be selfish or give in to their lustful desires. They will acknowledge the
Holy One of Jacob and surrender their lives to the Lord.
4)
They will genuinely worship the Lord and
be faithful in their worship.
5) They will no longer go astray or complain. They will accept the truth of God’s Word (v. 24). They will obey His Word and grow in their knowledge and understanding of Him.
Thought 1. The amazing changes described in Scripture could not take place on earth or in people apart from the direct intervention of God. But the wonderful promise of the Lord is this: He will intervene! A glorious transformation will take place in the future. Both the earth and the hearts of people will be transformed. All evil, lawlessness, violence, immorality, and injustice will be erased from the face of the earth. All sinful, wicked people who reject God and oppress His people—all unbelievers—will be removed from the face of the earth. In that day, the day when the Lord Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, a magnificent change will sweep the entire earth. Listen to some of the wonderful transformations that will take place in that day (Is. 2:1–5):
Ø “[Christ] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Ac. 3:21).
Ø “And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill” (Ex. 23:25–26).
Ø “And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land” (Le. 26:6).
Ø “And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve” (Is. 14:3).
Ø “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Is. 25:8).
Ø “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a stag, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Is. 35:5–6).
Ø “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Is. 60:18).
Ø “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid” (Zep. 3:13).
Ø “The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more” (Zep. 3:15).[2]
One more time, under Christ’s rule, the world
will be characterized by joy, understanding, justice, and praise to God; is
this a world you desire? Are you looking forward to the world described here,
under Christ’s rule; or are you continuing to enjoy your sin of violence, gloom,
and doom?
b 29:23
the surging birth rate and the expanding
economy, literally, “his children, the work of my hands, in his midst.”
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah (Chapters 1–35). Vol. I. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
Isaiah 29 | NLT Bible | YouVersion
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