Isaiah 17:1-14

Isaiah 17:1-14 NIV

A prophecy against Damascus:

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the Lord Almighty.

“In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away. It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms— as when someone gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs,” declares the Lord , the God of Israel.

In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made.

In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation. You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.

Woe to the many nations that rage— they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar— they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone!

This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

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Let's recap Isaiah so far. He has denounced Israel and Judah's unfaithfulness to the Lord and injustices against the people. Then he shares several promises of restoration after God's wrath turns away from them. These promises include a godly anointed leader, the messiah, to restore the people to faithful living according to the law of Moses. Next Isaiah announces doom for surrounding nations. All of them will endure the hardship of Assyrian and Babylonian invasions. Isaiah offered prophesies against Philistia, Moab and now against Damascus, the Arameans.

Syria is all over the news these days. Damascus is the capitol city of modern Syria. But the people in ancient days were of the nation of Aram. A map might help you and me to get a better understanding of the surrounding nations. (See below)

The Arameans and the nation of Israel, that is the ten tribes to the north who seceded from Judah and Jerusalem's authority, were allied together against Jerusalem. The nation of Israel is sometimes referred to as Ephraim or Samaria. Ephraim is the son of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph more than all his sons. Their Ephraim, whom Jacob blessed above his brother Manasseh, is called the glory of Jacob.

It's hard to know sometimes who it is that Isaiah is talking about. With all these different references to names and places, you really do need a commentary and maps to help you get the lay of the land. (Pun intended)

The Arameans of Damascus had fortresses in Israel. These are going to be destroyed. So will Damascus. They will be deserted. Sheep will graze in the ruins. Both Israel and Aram will fall like wheat when cut with a sickle.

This doom is coming through Assyria. The Assyrian Empire is grasping control of the region with its war machine, but God is using them to chastise His wayward people and to defeat enemies of God's people. Even though the Israelites and Judeans are not faithful to the covenant, God remains faithful. He promised Abraham to bless those who bless Israel and to curse those who curse them. (Genesis 12:3) Therefore the Arameans will suffer God's wrath for their aggression against Jerusalem and for their idol worship. Damascus is accountable to the Lord even though they are not part of God's covenant. The Lord is sovereign over all nations, whether they recognize Him out not. Their looting and plundering of Judah is now being paid back.

The good news in this passage is when the prophet announces that the people will stop looking to idols and turn to the Lord.

Isaiah 17:7-8 NIV

In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made.

Though the Israelites have forgotten God and turned to the idols of their neighbors, the terror of the Assyrian invasion will turn their hearts back to God. Regardless of the situation that brings hearts to repentance, it's always a good thing to celebrate when a sinner returns to the Lord.

Jesus taught the parable of the 99.

Luke 15:4, 6-7 NIV

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Difficult and challenging times sometimes draw people to search for God. People show up in worship when their lives are getting out of control. Divorce brings them in. Job uncertainty brings them. Wayward children bring them to God. In the weeks following 9/11 church attendance leapt upward. (Let's pray our churches are prepared to help them connect the living God!)

Hearts sometimes turn to God when life is beyond their control. How much better life would be if we'd all acknowledge that we are never really in control. When we submit to the authority of God, we find our lives in joyous harmony with the King of the Universe. Woe to the warring nations who try to control each other. Blessed are those who surrender control to God and worship and serve Him.