Isaiah 64

Isaiah 64:1

The LORD Protects His Vineyard Israel

Since the destruction of these monsters – or the monstrous manifestations of one monster – by the LORD is absolutely certain, another prophetic song sounds in which the joy of redeemed Israel is expressed (Isaiah 27:2). It is the joy of the LORD over His people. They are a vineyard which He does not entrust to others who are unfaithful (Matthew 21:33-39), but which He Himself constantly protects and waters (Isaiah 27:3). This song is a continuation of the song about the vineyard in Isaiah 5 (Isaiah 5:1-7). At the same time, this vineyard is in sharp contrast with that vineyard.

His wrath is over because there is nothing left to become angry about (Isaiah 27:4). His people answer to His purpose. If enemies would rise up against His people, He would burn like fire and consume those enemies like briars and thorns. God stands up for His vineyard. Whoever wants to attack that vineyard will have to deal with Him. The enemies do better to make peace with Him (Isaiah 27:5). Peace with Him can be made through faith in the Lord Jesus (Romans 5:1). Then they will escape His anger (cf. Psalms 2:12), because even in His wrath He remembers mercy (Habakkuk 3:2).

Isaiah 64:2

The LORD Protects His Vineyard Israel

Since the destruction of these monsters – or the monstrous manifestations of one monster – by the LORD is absolutely certain, another prophetic song sounds in which the joy of redeemed Israel is expressed (Isaiah 27:2). It is the joy of the LORD over His people. They are a vineyard which He does not entrust to others who are unfaithful (Matthew 21:33-39), but which He Himself constantly protects and waters (Isaiah 27:3). This song is a continuation of the song about the vineyard in Isaiah 5 (Isaiah 5:1-7). At the same time, this vineyard is in sharp contrast with that vineyard.

His wrath is over because there is nothing left to become angry about (Isaiah 27:4). His people answer to His purpose. If enemies would rise up against His people, He would burn like fire and consume those enemies like briars and thorns. God stands up for His vineyard. Whoever wants to attack that vineyard will have to deal with Him. The enemies do better to make peace with Him (Isaiah 27:5). Peace with Him can be made through faith in the Lord Jesus (Romans 5:1). Then they will escape His anger (cf. Psalms 2:12), because even in His wrath He remembers mercy (Habakkuk 3:2).

Isaiah 64:3

Israel Will Blossom and Sprout

When the Assyrians are finally destroyed, when the indignation is over, Israel will blossom and sprout and produce fruits that will be a blessing for the whole world (Isaiah 27:6). This is the beginning of the realm of peace. Thus they will literally be the “riches for the Gentiles” (Romans 11:12). Spiritually, this is God’s purpose and desire for the believers in the present age, until the church is complete (John 15:1-16). Filling the earth with fruit represents the consequences of missionary work among all nations (Romans 15:16).

The LORD had to strike His people, but He did not do so in the way He has struck the people who have struck His people (Isaiah 27:7). He has struck His people “in measure” (Darby Translation) and not in the fullness of His wrath (Isaiah 27:8; Psalms 118:18). In that case He would have wiped them completely from the earth. Now He has contended with His people by expelling them with the breath of His mouth, scattering them all over the earth. The wind purifies the harvest as it were, just as it does when the wheat is shaken and sifted. His purpose in doing so has been to forgive their iniquities and pardon their sins completely (Isaiah 27:9).

The full fruit of this action of the LORD is that all idols are pulverized and hewn down. Everything they have given the place of the LORD, they have removed, so that Ephraim will say: “What more have I to do with idols?” (Hosea 14:8a).

Isaiah 64:4

Israel Will Blossom and Sprout

When the Assyrians are finally destroyed, when the indignation is over, Israel will blossom and sprout and produce fruits that will be a blessing for the whole world (Isaiah 27:6). This is the beginning of the realm of peace. Thus they will literally be the “riches for the Gentiles” (Romans 11:12). Spiritually, this is God’s purpose and desire for the believers in the present age, until the church is complete (John 15:1-16). Filling the earth with fruit represents the consequences of missionary work among all nations (Romans 15:16).

The LORD had to strike His people, but He did not do so in the way He has struck the people who have struck His people (Isaiah 27:7). He has struck His people “in measure” (Darby Translation) and not in the fullness of His wrath (Isaiah 27:8; Psalms 118:18). In that case He would have wiped them completely from the earth. Now He has contended with His people by expelling them with the breath of His mouth, scattering them all over the earth. The wind purifies the harvest as it were, just as it does when the wheat is shaken and sifted. His purpose in doing so has been to forgive their iniquities and pardon their sins completely (Isaiah 27:9).

The full fruit of this action of the LORD is that all idols are pulverized and hewn down. Everything they have given the place of the LORD, they have removed, so that Ephraim will say: “What more have I to do with idols?” (Hosea 14:8a).

Isaiah 64:5

Israel Will Blossom and Sprout

When the Assyrians are finally destroyed, when the indignation is over, Israel will blossom and sprout and produce fruits that will be a blessing for the whole world (Isaiah 27:6). This is the beginning of the realm of peace. Thus they will literally be the “riches for the Gentiles” (Romans 11:12). Spiritually, this is God’s purpose and desire for the believers in the present age, until the church is complete (John 15:1-16). Filling the earth with fruit represents the consequences of missionary work among all nations (Romans 15:16).

The LORD had to strike His people, but He did not do so in the way He has struck the people who have struck His people (Isaiah 27:7). He has struck His people “in measure” (Darby Translation) and not in the fullness of His wrath (Isaiah 27:8; Psalms 118:18). In that case He would have wiped them completely from the earth. Now He has contended with His people by expelling them with the breath of His mouth, scattering them all over the earth. The wind purifies the harvest as it were, just as it does when the wheat is shaken and sifted. His purpose in doing so has been to forgive their iniquities and pardon their sins completely (Isaiah 27:9).

The full fruit of this action of the LORD is that all idols are pulverized and hewn down. Everything they have given the place of the LORD, they have removed, so that Ephraim will say: “What more have I to do with idols?” (Hosea 14:8a).

Isaiah 64:6

Israel Will Blossom and Sprout

When the Assyrians are finally destroyed, when the indignation is over, Israel will blossom and sprout and produce fruits that will be a blessing for the whole world (Isaiah 27:6). This is the beginning of the realm of peace. Thus they will literally be the “riches for the Gentiles” (Romans 11:12). Spiritually, this is God’s purpose and desire for the believers in the present age, until the church is complete (John 15:1-16). Filling the earth with fruit represents the consequences of missionary work among all nations (Romans 15:16).

The LORD had to strike His people, but He did not do so in the way He has struck the people who have struck His people (Isaiah 27:7). He has struck His people “in measure” (Darby Translation) and not in the fullness of His wrath (Isaiah 27:8; Psalms 118:18). In that case He would have wiped them completely from the earth. Now He has contended with His people by expelling them with the breath of His mouth, scattering them all over the earth. The wind purifies the harvest as it were, just as it does when the wheat is shaken and sifted. His purpose in doing so has been to forgive their iniquities and pardon their sins completely (Isaiah 27:9).

The full fruit of this action of the LORD is that all idols are pulverized and hewn down. Everything they have given the place of the LORD, they have removed, so that Ephraim will say: “What more have I to do with idols?” (Hosea 14:8a).

Isaiah 64:7

Consequences of the Wrath for Jerusalem

The discipling hand of the LORD will work that Israel will repent. Isaiah 27:10-11 show what that discipline means. The once strong and populated Jerusalem will seem a forsaken wilderness (Isaiah 27:10). This is the result of the (first) attack of the Assyrians or the king of the North (cf. Zechariah 13:8-9). In the middle of the ruins the cattle will find some greenery. After some time, the branches that are eaten bare will be dry enough to light a fire to cook or fry what is still edible (Isaiah 27:11).

The cause of this situation is their lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), which led them to follow the antichrist (John 5:43b). It is a guilty lack of knowledge. They are to blame for turning their back on their “Maker” and for forgetting their “Creator”. In doing so, they have closed themselves off to His compassion and grace. In this way they have made it impossible for Him to have compassion on them and to be gracious to them (2 Chronicles 36:16).

Isaiah 64:8

Consequences of the Wrath for Jerusalem

The discipling hand of the LORD will work that Israel will repent. Isaiah 27:10-11 show what that discipline means. The once strong and populated Jerusalem will seem a forsaken wilderness (Isaiah 27:10). This is the result of the (first) attack of the Assyrians or the king of the North (cf. Zechariah 13:8-9). In the middle of the ruins the cattle will find some greenery. After some time, the branches that are eaten bare will be dry enough to light a fire to cook or fry what is still edible (Isaiah 27:11).

The cause of this situation is their lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), which led them to follow the antichrist (John 5:43b). It is a guilty lack of knowledge. They are to blame for turning their back on their “Maker” and for forgetting their “Creator”. In doing so, they have closed themselves off to His compassion and grace. In this way they have made it impossible for Him to have compassion on them and to be gracious to them (2 Chronicles 36:16).

Isaiah 64:9

The LORD Gathers Up His people

In these verses we see that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). God always sees an opportunity to have mercy. That is along the path of conversion and repentance that He works in His people. When the threshing of His people – Judah, the two tribes realm – is finished and the chaff is separated from the wheat, He gathers the rest of His people (Isaiah 27:12; cf. Matthew 24:31). He does this by gathering up the members of His people – the ten tribes realm – one by one. The few do not disappear in the mass. Not one will be left behind or forgotten. He will gather them all from between the Euphrates and the promised land.

He will call the lost ten tribes to His land by “a great trumpet” from all nations (Isaiah 27:13; Matthew 24:31). It is the consummation of the resurrection of Israel buried for so long. This is the great year of jubilee when, on the day of atonement, every member of the people will regain his possessions (Leviticus 25:9; 13). Peter calls it the “period of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). When they have returned to the land, their first act will be to “come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem”, together with their brothers from the two tribes realm.

Isaiah 64:10

The LORD Gathers Up His people

In these verses we see that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). God always sees an opportunity to have mercy. That is along the path of conversion and repentance that He works in His people. When the threshing of His people – Judah, the two tribes realm – is finished and the chaff is separated from the wheat, He gathers the rest of His people (Isaiah 27:12; cf. Matthew 24:31). He does this by gathering up the members of His people – the ten tribes realm – one by one. The few do not disappear in the mass. Not one will be left behind or forgotten. He will gather them all from between the Euphrates and the promised land.

He will call the lost ten tribes to His land by “a great trumpet” from all nations (Isaiah 27:13; Matthew 24:31). It is the consummation of the resurrection of Israel buried for so long. This is the great year of jubilee when, on the day of atonement, every member of the people will regain his possessions (Leviticus 25:9; 13). Peter calls it the “period of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). When they have returned to the land, their first act will be to “come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem”, together with their brothers from the two tribes realm.

Isaiah 64:12

Introduction

Overview main part 1.3 – Isaiah 28-35

God and His people

The third part of the first main part (Isaiah 1-35) contains Isaiah 28-35 and can be divided as follows:

1. Woe to Samaria (Isaiah 28) 2. Woe to Ariel (Isaiah 29) 3. Woe to the rebellious children (Isaiah 30) 4. Woe to those who seek the help of Egypt (Isaiah 31) 5. The kingdom of God (Isaiah 32) 6. Woe to the destroyer (Isaiah 33) 7. Judgment on the world and Edom (Isaiah 34) 8. Blessing for God’s people (Isaiah 35)

Like the previous parts, Isaiah 1-12 and Isaiah 13-27, this part begins with the judgment of God and continues to the realm of peace. It also ends with a song of praise and an enumeration of the blessings of the realm of peace.

Introduction on Isaiah 28

Isaiah 28-29 introduce a series of prophecies. Prophetically, we find here the two attacks (Daniel 11:39-44) of the Assyrians in the time of God’s indignation. After the final destruction of the Assyrians, the realm of peace is established.

This prophetic part finds its historical pre-fulfillment in the fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17:1-5; 22-23).

Woe to Samaria

This chapter introduces a new series of woes. In Isaiah 5 we hear a “woe” six times, and now there are six more until Isaiah 33. The first five are to Israel and especially to Judah and Jerusalem. The sixth is about Assyria. The “woe” is pronounced over God’s people for forsaking the LORD. It is about the wicked of Israel. They put their trust in Egypt rather than in the LORD. In the end time they will put their trust in their king, the antichrist, and the covenant with the beast, the coming leader of the restored Roman Empire, the united states of Europe.

This chapter can be divided into three sections: 1. Isaiah 28:1-13, 2. Isaiah 28:14-22, 3. Isaiah 28:23-29.

The first section describes the degenerated condition of the leaders in Israel at that time. In the first verses Samaria is openly denounced. As the capital of the ten tribes realm, the city is called “the proud crown”, on which drunken Ephraim boasts (Isaiah 28:1). The inhabitants of Samaria live in luxurious complacency. The city, lying on a mountain and therefore seen as “at the head”, is compared to a “fading flower”, which gives the picture of glory that is decaying. The background of this prophecy is the pre-fulfillment when Samaria is besieged for three years and finally destroyed by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5).

They use the fertility of the valley, to which the city lies as a head ornament, to satisfy their own needs (cf. Amos 4:1). It makes them drunk and therefore insensitive to the word of God through His prophets. All this the LORD will strike with His judgment. Assyria will be the instrument through which the LORD will carry out the judgment. Assyria can be identified here with the coming king of the North, the alliance of North Arab countries (Psalms 83:5-8), islamic countries with the support of Gog (cf. Daniel 8:24). Assyria is presented again as “mighty overflowing waters” (Isaiah 28:2; Isaiah 8:7).

Assyria will overrun Samaria and treed their pride underfoot (Isaiah 28:3). He will do so with the greatest ease. The city will be judged as “the fading flower” (Isaiah 28:4). It will be casually done with the speed with which one sees an early fig, plucks it, puts it in the mouth and swallows it, and it is no longer there. We would say: bite, swallow, disappeared. These verses are fulfilled in 622 BC.

In this section we are warned not to place our trust in our prosperity. We may enjoy what the Lord gives us, but He requires us to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). After all, we have received it from Him. If we acknowledge that, we will want to honor Him with what He has entrusted to us. Then we will also give to the less fortunate.

Prophetically, this attack (Isaiah 28:1-6) points to the king of the North’s first attack on Israel (Daniel 11:41). By Ephraim is meant the north of Israel that is first attacked by this king. The ten tribes themselves will return after the appearance of the Lord (Matthew 24:29-31). From Isaiah 28:7 it is about the continuation of this attack on Jerusalem.