04/02/2022 – Day 034 – Isaiah 23 – 28 / “Day of judgment” – Our God reigns!
Chapter 23 – An Oracle against Tyre: My footnote to verses 23: 8 – 9 helps clarify with informaton on Tyre : “The city of Tyre was situated on an almost impregnable island in the Mediterranean Sea (v.4) It was weathy (v. 3) and had many colonies to teade with (v 8). It considered itself invincible. But God’s plan was to destroy Tyre (v. 9) and this occurred when Sennacherib overcame Sidon in his third year and put Tyre under siege for five years…”
Chapter 24 – “The Earth Judged” – What’s funny is I can’t recall such a divergent interpretation of the chapters from reknowned thelogians. My Apologetics Study Bible and the Matthew Henry Commentary speak to the chapter as if it were judgment in the times and or near future of the Book of Isaiah whereas John Gill and Halley’s Bible Handbook look at it as end times, the “last day”. I’m going with the later. Check out John Gill’s commentary link on 24:21 and by clicking the arrows forward , you can follow it through to the end of chapter:
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/isaiah-24-21.html
For, the next two chapters, I am going verbatim on brother Henry H. Halley:
“Chapter 25. The Abolition of Death:
Here Isaiah has transported himself beyond the crash of worlds, into the age of new heavens and the new earth, and put into the mouth of redeemed a song of praise to God, for his wonderful works. Most wonderful of all is the Destruction of Death (8), ‘in this mountain’ (6), of Jerusalem. This cannot refer to anything else than the Resurrection of Jesus from the the Dead, the one and only thing that has nullified death and brought, to mankind the guarantee of Eternal Life; the ‘feast of rich wines for all peoples (6); the joy-shout of the ages; the event that ‘wipes away tears from all the faes.’ The mention of Moab in this connection (10), illustrates Isaiah’s mental habit of abrupt transition back and forth between future glory and present local circumstance. (Jimmy insert: Book of Isaiah note) The fate of Moab, constant rival and recurrent eneny of Judah, may be used here as typical of the fate of Zion’s enemies generally.
Chapter 26. A Song of Trust and Triumph:
A continuation of the song of the preceding chapter. ‘Strong city’ (1) central rendezvous of God’s people. ‘Lofty city’ (5), idealized stronghold of the wicked. Verse 3 is a grand verse. The grandest verse in the chapter is 19: the Resurrection. In 25:8 it was the Resurrection of Christ. Here it is the General Resurrection of God’s People. ‘Disclose her blood’ (21): in Day of Judgment, when man’s long reign of wickedness shall be ended.”
And to wrap up with Chapter 27 and 28, it is back to my bible footnotes for FYI context:
Chapter 27. Leviathin Slain:
“27:1: The name Leviathin is found elsewhere in the Bibel (Job 3:8; 41: 1-32; Psalm 74:14; 104:26) and appears to refer tto a sea creature paralle to Rahab, which symbolized Eqypt (Job 26:12; Psalm 87:4; 89:10; Isaiah 30:7; 51:9). … To the contrary, Isaiah’s use of Leviathin as a metaphore for the strong nation of Assyria amounts to divesting the name of any mythological or religion significance attached to it.”
Chapter 28. Woe To Samaria / A Deal WIth Death:
“28: 15, 18: It makes little sense for anyone to ‘cut a deal with Death’ (lit. make [cut] a covenant with death’) or to say ‘we have made falsehood our refuge.’ Isaiah was mockingly putting words in the mouths of his audience. Hezekiah’s ill-considered political agreement with Egypt to gain protection from the Assyrian attack of Sennacherib in 701 B.C. was stylized as a ‘deal with death’ because the rulers of Judah were hoping that Egypt was always an unreliable allly. The phrase ‘deal with Death’ may be the background for Paul’s phrase ‘ ministry of deathj’ in 2 Corinthians 3:7, where he applied it to a false reliance on the old covenant, or law of Moses, which cannot give life (see 1 Corinthians 15: 56 – 57).
Modern day example of same: U.S.A. using Russian as our representative in nuclear arms talks with Iran in the midst of the Ukranian crises. It is unfathomable insanity!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Love,
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy