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We’re back in the Bible room today, continuing the reading of the summary of Isaiah. Here is Session 3, chapters 23 through 33.

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Isaiah – Session 3 of 6

Chapter 23. Tyre

Isaiah has some unkind words for the city of Tyre:

Isaiah sends a warning to all trading ships headed to Tyre;
Don’t try to trade at Tyre – that city will be destroyed;
Isaiah compares Tyre to a prideful harlot;
She welcomes trading ships from all over the sea;
She has become the center of trade for all nations;
Destruction of Tyre will extend to Sidon and Cyprus;
Trading nations like Egypt will bemoan the loss of Tyre;
For seventy years that trading center will lay in ruins;
After that the Lord will allow Tyre to be restored;
She will, once again, become a great trading port;
However, her income will be reserved for the Lord;
Those who worship the Lord will receive the profits.

Chapter 24. Curse

Isaiah says the Lord has placed a curse on the Earth:

Isaiah can see the future where the people are scattered;
There are no status distinctions: Everyone is equal;
The Earth is cursed because the people abandoned God;
They forgot about their Divine covenant;
All joy and happiness will be gone from the Earth;
The punishment of the Lord will be severe;
And the Lord wins: He will again reign in Jerusalem.

Chapter 25. Rejoice

Isaiah offers praise to the Lord for His mighty works:

The Lord has destroyed cities for His people;
His enemies fear the Lord;
The Lord is strong for those in need;
He will be whatever His people need him to be;
He will provide them a feast of the best food and drink;
He will swallow up death forever;
He will wipe away tears from their faces;
The people will know that this is the work of the Lord;
“We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Chapter 26. Peace

Looking into the future, Isaiah sees God’s people praying for peace:

There will be singing for the righteous;
“You will keep him in perfect peace
Whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You;”
The Lord will bring down the high places;
They will be trampled by the oppressed;
When the Lord rules, people learn righteousness;
The wicked ones cannot see, they will never learn;
But they will see the fire that devours them;
God’s people will pray for the Lord to bring peace;
The Lord has punished, destroyed all previous masters;
He has increased and expanded the land of His people;
His people have been like a woman with child;
But they have failed to deliver any good thing;
The Lord will punish everyone on earth for their sins.

Chapter 27. Gathered

Isaiah sees the day coming when Israel will be gathered again in Jerusalem:

The Lord likens his people to a vineyard;
He has watered, nurtured, and protected it from danger;
He has disciplined it to protect it from itself;
He has punished its enemies severely;
And He will forgive the sins of His people;
But their city has been left desolate, abandoned;
And the Lord is not pleased with them for allowing that;
But the day is coming when the Lord will call Israel;
He will call them to come back from where they are scattered;
From Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt;
And they will be gathered again at the holy city of Jerusalem.

Chapter 28. Remnant

Isaiah says the Lord does everything to maintain the remnant of His people:

Isaiah declares judgement is coming to Ephraim;
It was once a beautiful place of mountains and valleys;
But now it is a nation spoiled with prideful drunkards;
The Lord will trample these people underfoot;
The Lord will be whatever the remnant of His people need;
But His people have made many serious mistakes;
They have been overcome with too much wine;
Too many have been falling down drunk and vomiting;
How can the Lord teach such a people the right message?
He will need to start from the beginning;
Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little;
But the leaders are corrupted, leading the people with lies;
The Lord God declares: a new foundation has been laid;
It is a precious cornerstone everyone can trust;
He will rule with justice and righteousness;
God wants His people to listen to His voice;
He will teach them to give right judgements;
The Lord’s instructions are always right.

Chapter 29. Learn

The people of God have been slow to learn His ways and His teachings:

Jerusalem has kept the feasts but their hearts are not in it;
The Lord will use Judah’s enemies to force changes;
There will be distress and sorrow;
Enemies will surround Jerusalem like clouds of dust;
The Lord will bring punishment like a bad dream;
The people have not listened to the prophets;
And the Lord’s instructions have been ignored;
His people have been willingly unable to learn;
But some day learning will begin to return to the nation;
The blind will start to see, the deaf will begin to hear;
Joy will return to those who humble themselves;
Worship of the Lord will be restored;
And God’s people will again understand and learn instructions.

Chapter 30. Confidence

Isaiah says the people of God need to place their confidence in God alone:

Too often God’s people have looked to other nations for help;
They have gone down to Egypt against God’s will for them;
The Egyptians learned the Israelites had nothing for them;
And the Pharaoh humiliated them;
The Lord says His people are forever rebellious;
They refuse to listen to their own prophets;
Their sins will lead to their sudden downfall;
If they would put their confidence solely in God
They would find rest and peace;
But they will not, and they run away from God;
But God will have mercy on them when they turn to Him;
He will one day restore them to Jerusalem;
And then you will be able to hear your teachers saying
“This is the way, walk in it;” and obedience will follow;
And you will again be receiving the blessing of God;
Your fields, your crops, your cattle, everything will be blessed;
You will recover from all your previous injuries;
By the name of the Lord Assyria will be shattered;
His anger will descend on Assyria like a consuming fire;
And God’s people will be glad with “songs in the night.”

Chapter 31. Preservation

The Lord promises the preservation of Jerusalem:

Isaiah writes that Egyptians are just men, not God;
Their horses are mere flesh, not spirit;
But both of them exist in great numbers;
God’s people have often trusted in those numbers;
The Lord says they will all perish together;
But the Lord has told Isaiah He intends to help;
He is going to oversee the preservation of Israel;
But His people must return to serving the Lord;
If they do, Assyria will fall by the hand of the Lord.

Chapter 32. Assurance

Isaiah foresees a coming reign of justice, righteousness, and assurance:

A man will be as a hiding place in a storm;
He will be like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land;
Those who understand will have clear eyes to see;
They will have ears to listen and understand;
Stammering tongues will be able to speak plainly;
Generosity will not be called foolish;
A foolish person will practice evil;
And the generous man will practice generosity;
Isaiah has a word from the Lord for all women:
Complacency will lead to trouble in the land;
All the happy homes will be disturbed;
Until the Spirit of God descends again on Israel;
Then there will be justice, righteousness, and assurance;
Blessed are those who will live in freedom.

Chapter 33. Treasure

Isaiah says respect for, and worship of the Lord is His treasure:

The enemy of God’s people will be defeated;
The Lord will answer the prayers of His people;
He has filled Judah with justice and righteousness;
And the fear of the Lord is His treasure;
But the enemies have trampled and ruined the land;
The great forests of Lebanon are shriveled;
The once-beautiful Sharon is like a wilderness;
In the devastation the Lord will be exalted;
And those who walk with God will dwell on high;
They will see the King in His beauty;
And be able to see the land of the future;
To see a peaceful Jerusalem;
For the Lord is our Judge, Lawgiver, and King;
And in that land the people’s sins will be forgiven.

End of Session 3 of 6 of the book of Isaiah

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