Dwell in the Word: Isaiah 29:1-24

Consider these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 29:1-24:

1. How does Isaiah highlight the spiritual blindness and arrogance of the people in Judah and Jerusalem, and what consequences do they face for drawing near with their mouths while their hearts are far from God?

2. What significance does the imagery of God turning things upside down and the potter-clay analogy hold in this passage, and how does it emphasize God's authority and the need for humility and trust in His wisdom?

3. How does the passage convey the idea of God's faithfulness in bringing about reversals and transformations in the lives of His people, even when they have turned away from Him, and what lessons can we learn from this about our own relationship with God?

Transcript:

As we continue through the Book of Isaiah, we once again see language of judgment, but we also see this idea of the faithfulness of God. We see that things are so bad in Judah, things are so bad in Jerusalem that they don't even understand what is happening. We see here in verse 9, Estonish yourselves and be astonished, blind yourselves and be blind, be drunk, but not with wine. Stagger, but not with strong drink. In other words, they don't get it. They are not seeing that they're blind to the reasons that they are receiving judgment, why this is happening to them. But we also see that God is the source of this. Verse 10, For the Lord has poured upon you a spirit of deep sleep. They don't understand. They can't wake up to this reality that they are in need of judgment, that they're needing to return to God. Look at what it says and has closed your eyes. The prophets aren't speaking and has covered your heads. The sears, they can't interpret. In other words, there is no way that they understand. They are just completely blind to it all. And we see here why this is, and it comes to some pretty familiar language for us.

This is a language that is quoted in the New Testament. We know this, verse 13, And the Lord said, 'Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by man. Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people with wonder upon wonder, and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden. ' Now, not all of this is quoted directly in the New Testament, but this idea of the people who are near with their mouths but far from God in their hearts is an idea that we hear from Jesus in the Gospels, right? This idea that, sure, you're doing these sacrifices, but you aren't sure why you're just doing them to do them. And God says that He is going to come in and He is going to make them understand what is going on here. He's saying, I will do wonderful things with this people with wonder upon wonder. That there is going to be things that can only be from God.

That will cause them to understand. And what will happen? The wisdom of their wise men will perish. In other words, those who think they have all the answers, God is going to show that His wisdom is greater. And those who think they are discerning, that they, again, have it all figured out, well, God is going to show that His wisdom, His discernment is better. And then we have another well-known passage here, right? You turn things upside down. Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing that made it should say of its maker, 'He did not make me, or the thing formed, say of him who formed it. He has no understanding. ' Don't we do this, though? Don't we look at God and we say, 'You don't know what's best? ' This is not what we are to do. We are not to reject what God is giving us. We should be understanding that He is the one who has the wisdom. He is the one who is in authority. But instead, what do we do? We run off in our sin. We do what we want to do. We like to think that we are wiser than God.

We think that He has no understanding. God doesn't get it. But the truth of the matter is that God is the God who turns things upside down. It's not the people. The people have turned things upside down. We see that in verse 16. They don't understand these things. But then we read that God is the one who does the reversals. Notice what he says in 18, In that day, the deaf shall hear the words of a book. Now to their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. God is turning things upside down. God is the one doing the reversals. Even the meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor amongst mankind shall exalt in the holy one of Israel. They have turned things upside down by rejecting God and rejecting His wisdom. But now God is going to turn all of this around. He is going to give them these things. Even though they've been deaf to His word, they are going to hear. Even though they've been walking around in the darkness, they will see. Even those who are meek they're going to be celebrating this joy in the Lord.

And so this is the idea of God doing a great thing amongst His people. We see at the end that the work of His hands, His people, they're going to sanctify His name. They will be sanctified. The holy ones of Israel are going to be sanctified. He is going to bring His people to Himself. Even though they have rejected him, even though they have turned things upside down, He is going to set things to right. He is the one who does this. And so may we think about this passage today. Think about all these ways in which these people turned their back on God, and they thought they were wiser than God. But yet what did God do? God sought them out, and He made promises to them because our God is a God who keeps His promises. He is going to bring His people to Himself regardless of what happens. The best thing for us to do each and every day is to think about where are we making reversals? Where are we turning things upside down? Where are we thinking that we are more wise than God? Then we need to remember that our God is the God of great reversals.

Even when we make those mistakes, He can cause us to see even though we've been blind. He can cause us to hear even though we've been deaf. May we think about this faithfulness of our God today, and may we seek to be open to those things that we are struggling with. Instead of struggling, instead of turning away from God, may we run to him in faith.