Isaiah 29:1-3, 5-7, 9, 13-16, 19-24

Isaiah 29:1-3, 5-7, 9, 13-16, 19-24 NIV Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled! Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on. Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament, she will be to me like an altar hearth. I will encamp against you on all sides; I will encircle you with towers and set up my siege works against you. But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night— Be stunned and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaiah 29 is an oracle concerning Jerusalem where the temple stands upon Mt. Zion. Isaiah refers to Jerusalem as Ariel. An ariel is the highest point on the altar where burnt offerings are given to the Lord. It is therefore the closest to God. Ezekiel uses the word to describe the strength behind Israel. The altar sacrifices atone for sin and maintain Israel in holiness before the Lord. Through holiness God dwells with Israel. Therefore they have the strength of God. Ariel can also be translated as "lion-like strength". What is Jerusalem but the capitol city of Judah, the highest city, the city of kings? The king of the Jews is known as the Lion of Judah. It's a messianic title. But this high city, this place near to God and His strength, will be brought down to the lowest place on the altar, the hearth where ash and dust settle. The high city will be humbled, bent down with their faces to the ground, their lips pressed into the dust. The great city will be attacked and laid under siege. But then suddenly the city will be spared. God will act to save Jerusalem, His beloved city. It will not be destroyed. This is a very different prophecy than those shared in previous chapters. Isaiah shared that the city would be crushed and left in rubble. That does happen seven or more generations later, but not under the Assyrians. Because of the humility of King Hezekiah, God suddenly saves the city from Assyria encamped around them. 2 Kings 19:35-36 NIV That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. Isaiah depicts Jerusalem as awe struck by what God will do. They will stagger about as if drunk, but without having consumed alcohol. They will be completely overwhelmed by the glorious wonders God will perform. The worship of the Jews at Jerusalem had become rote or routine. They went through the motions of the worship order, but their hearts were far from blessing the Lord. Their worship is based on the how to guide, but there is no sense of holy awe in the priests or the worshipers. So God will remind them of who He is. He will astound Jerusalem with His wonders as He brings Assyria's army to the walls of Jerusalem and then suddenly eliminates the threat. How often does our worship become an empty routine devoid of the living presence of God? We go through the motions, but our hearts are not giving God anything, nor are our hearts blessed. Ever so often God has to remind me of who He is. Mystical wonders don't happen very often, but when they do I am awe struck and reminded of God's majesty, sovereignty and power. I end up on my knees, humbled and worshiping. All my schooling and religious training doesn't prepare me for such moments. I become dumbfounded, barely able to find words. My intelligence and wisdom are nothing in the presence of Almighty God! When was the last time you experienced the wonder of the living God? In Jerusalem the arrogant will be humbled and the humble will be lifted. God will search out those who do and do not honor Him. The people will be restored into a vital community of worship, for the mockers, the ruthless and the unjust will disappear from their ranks. When God threatens and then suddenly saves the city, the adults of Jerusalem will look upon the children among them and rejoice because of the horrors they have been spared. His great mercy will turn their hearts. The once wayward and disobedient will finally receive instruction and happily comply with God's commands. The wonders of God restore vital community. I wonder how many more tragedies, disasters, attacks and shootings this country must endure before we are humbled and resume true worship? 9/11 brought a sudden boost in worship attendance in our country, but it didn't last. Did Americans searching for God not find Him in our places of worship? Have we become like the Jews of Isaiah's time just going through the motions of worship, honoring God with our lips but not with our hearts? What's it going to take to awaken this great nation from its spiritual slumber? May God have mercy on our children. May we learn obedience for their sakes and for the name of the Lord.