Isaiah 65-66

Isaiah 65
1-16 The Righteousness of God's Judgment

1-6 [God's Answer to Isaiah:] I was here for my people, but they were rebellious. They:

• followed their own devices
• provoked me to my face, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks
• sat inside tombs, spent the night in secret places, ate swine's flesh
• said "Do not come near me, for I am too holy for you."
• are a smoke in my nostrils, and I will not keep silent, but will repay their iniquities

8-12 But for the sake of those who are still faithful, I will not destroy all of Israel; my chosen will inherit my mountain. But you who forsake me (who "set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny") are destined to the sword because when I called, you did not answer. A clever play on words, even in English. It's like he's saying: You like fortunetelling? I'll tell you your fortune!
13-14 My servants will eat, drink and rejoice while you are hungry, thirsty and put to shame.
15-16 Your name will be a curse, and I will give my servants a new name. They will bless by my name and will take oaths by my name. The former troubles will be forgotten.

17-25 The Glorious New Creation

17-19 I will create "a new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered...no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it." We see these phrases repeated in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1-4, respectively. Isaiah's prophecy could refer to the New Testament church; the New Testament passages to the heavenly Jerusalem. Whichever it is, something better is coming for those who are faithful to God.
20-25 A description of that better place:

• People will live longer
• They will build houses and vineyards for their own benefit
• They and their descendants will be blessed by the LORD.
• The wolf and lamb shall feed together
• No hurt or destruction will be on my holy mountain.

Note: Sounds like an ideal place, doesn't it? One we would all want on this earth right now. That desire may be why so many have invented an earthly kingdom ruled from Jerusalem with these attributes when Christ comes again. In order to work out the details, they come up with some amazing scenarios that don't make any sense in light of the passages that are clear about the finality of judgment and Christ's and the apostles' constant emphasis on the spiritual over the physical.

Isaiah 66
1-4 The Worship God Demands

Note: This subtitle is supplied by the publishers of the Bible I'm using. The word "demand" reminds me of an article I read years ago that in part explained why some don't acknowledge God. They resent his "demand" that people worship him, making him appear not benevolent but arrogant. I've come to believe that many who call themselves atheists or agnostics refuse God not because he's not there but because they just don't like him. And, rightly so, they don't like the unreasonable demands some of us who believe place on those around us. Often, in our misguided fervor, we become demanding and arrogant without the balance of unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness that define God.

1-2 "Thus says the LORD; Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool." No earthly house you can build is worthy of that; what I look for are the humble and contrite in spirit. Stephen referred back to this scripture in his speech, in Acts 7:49.
3-4 I will not accept the sacrifices of those who have chosen their own way (their slaughtering an ox is like murdering a human), because when I called they did not answer, when I spoke, they did not listen. I will bring upon them what they fear.

5-13 The LORD Vindicates Zion

5 Those of you who tremble at my word will be rejected and mocked by your own people, but they will be put to shame.
6 You can hear the voice of the LORD in the temple dealing retribution to his enemies.
7-9 Jerusalem will deliver a son as soon as she is in labor; a land will be born in a day. After consulting with a couple of commentaries, I can see how this can refer both to the return from Babylonian captivity – which was done peacefully and quickly, even with the help of the captor nation – and to the birth of the new nation on the Day of Pentecost, when 3000 souls responded to the gospel in Jerusalem.
10-11 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be nourished and nurtured by her.
12-13 I will make her prosperous and will comfort you in Jerusalem.

14-24 The Reign and Indignation of God

14-16 Everyone will see that "the hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies."
17 Those who defile themselves by eating unclean animals will come to an end together.
18-21 I come to gather all nations and tongues, and they will go out to the nations and declare my glory, and all nations will come to my holy mountain Jerusalem and I will take some of them as priests and Levites. I can't read this without thinking of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and the subsequent evangelism that begins in Acts 8.
22-23 For as the new heavens and earth shall remain, so shall your descendants and name.
24 And they will look on the bodies of those who rebelled against me, "for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched." This is quoted by Jesus in Mark 9:48 to condemn those who would allow their eye to cause them to stumble. What a way to end the book, with a curse on those who rebel against God! As tender as he is with those who submit themselves to him, he is tough on those who refuse to acknowledge his power.

Isaiah 62-64

Isaiah 62
1-12 The Vindication and Salvation of Zion

1-5 The whole world will see the vindication of Jerusalem, who will be a crown of beauty and receive a new name, "My Delight Is in Her." Your God will rejoice over you as a groom rejoices over his bride.
6-9 Give the LORD no rest until he establishes Jerusalem, for he has sworn that enemies will no longer profit from your labor. Those who produce grain and wine will eat and drink in praise of the LORD.
10-12 Prepare the way to Jerusalem, for your salvation is coming with his reward, who will be called "The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD," and you will be called "Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken." Again, in the immediate context this probably refers to the Israelites' return to Jerusalem from Babylon, but who can read it without picturing the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem? See Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:5 for the more specific prophecy and its fulfillment in Christ.

Isaiah 63
1-6 Vengeance in Edom

1-6 A conversation between the writer and a mighty one who comes from single-handedly destroying Edom. According to the commentaries, Edom is representative of all the enemies of the church, and of course, the Mighty One is Christ himself -- not the picture of the gentle Jesus with children, but of God's Avenger. He is pictured this way in Revelation, as well, in 19:11-16, which reads in part:

13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

7-14 God's Mercy Remembered

7-9 I will remember all the gracious deeds and mercy the LORD has shown to his people, becoming their savior in their distress – not through an angel, but through his presence.
10-14 But they rebelled and grieved God's spirit, so he punished them and they remembered the days of Moses and how God led them out of Egypt and cared for them in the desert.

15-19 A Prayer of Penitence

15-19 You have withheld your zeal and your compassion from us. Abraham and Israel cannot acknowledge us as their children; you are our father. Why harden our hearts? Turn back for the sake of your servants; our adversaries have trampled your sanctuary.

Isaiah 64
1-12 A Prayer of Penitence (cont'd)

1-3 Tear open the heavens and come down; show your power; make the nations tremble at your presence.
4-5 There has never been a God like you, who works for those who wait for him, who do right. But you were angry because we had sinned.
6-7 "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth." Since no one calls on your name, you have hidden from us.
8-12 You are our Father; "we are the clay, and you are our potter"; do not remember our iniquity forever. Our city is in ruins – will you punish us so severely?

Isaiah 60-61

Isaiah 60
1-18 The Ingathering of the Dispersal

1 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and glory of the LORD has risen upon you." I don't know why this verse sounds familiar to me. I thought it might have been repeated in the New Testament, but I didn't find it there. Besides referring to the Israelites' return to Jerusalem, we can't mistake its prophecy of the Christ: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)
2-7 The earth will be dark, and the nations will come to you because of your light, bringing their wealth with them, and their flocks shall be acceptable on my altar. See Acts 2:5 (Jews from all nations in Jerusalem) and Matthew 2:11 (wise men from the East bringing expensive gifts).
8-10 The ships will bring your children from afar, because I have glorified you. In my wrath I struck you down, but in my favor I had mercy on you.
11-14 Through your open gates – which never close (See Rev. 21 below) – nations will bring you gifts. Those who do not serve you will perish. All who previously despised you will bow at your feet and call you Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15-16 You had been forsaken by others, but now you will partake of their wealth.
17-18 I will replace bronze, iron, wood and stones with gold, silver, bronze and iron; give you peace and righteousness, salvation and praise.

19-22 God the Glory of Zion

19-22 I will be your light, your sun; your righteous people will possess the land forever. This sounds much like Revelation 21:22-27 and 22:5, references to the Eternal City in heaven.

22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day - and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Isaiah 61
1-11 The Good News of the Deliverance

1-2 "The spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners." Jesus himself quotes this and declares he is the fulfillment of this prophecy, in Luke 4:17-21.
3-4 Those who mourn will be glad, they shall repair the ruins of their cities.
5-7 Strangers will work your lands and call you priests of the LORD, and you shall enjoy their wealth.
8-9 Since the LORD loves justice and hates wrongdoing, he will recompense those who were wronged by showing to the nations that they are blessed by the LORD.
10-11 I will rejoice, for he has clothed me with the garment of salvation, like a bride or groom. Righteousness will spring up as a garden before all nations.

Isaiah 58-59

Isaiah 58
1-14 False and True Worship

1-5 Day after day my people go through the ritual of worship, while serving their own interests – oppressing their workers and quarreling even as they fast. Is this what you call a fast?
6-9 This is the fast I choose: To free the unjustly imprisoned, share your food with the hungry, bring the homeless into your house, clothe the naked. Then you will receive light, healing and protection, and I will answer when you call. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. There God the Son echoes these injunctions. In Matthew 7:21-29, he declares that not every one who calls on his name will be part of his kingdom, but those who do his will. And in Matthew 25:31-46 he tells his disciples how important it is to care for the less fortunate.
10-12 If you get rid of evil speaking and help the needy, your light will shine again, and the LORD will guide you, quench your thirst and strengthen your bones, and you will be known for restoring your heritage.
13-14 If you stop trampling the sabbath and pursuing your own interests on my holy day, then you will take delight in the LORD, and I will restore your heritage as my people.

Isaiah 59
1-21 Injustice and Oppression to Be Punished

1-2 "The LORD's hand is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."
3-8 You kill, cheat, and lie; your courts are unjust; you poison everything around you, working iniquity, shedding innocent blood, knowing nothing of peace or justice. Verses 7 and 8 of this passage, "Their feet run to evil...they rush to shed innocent blood..." are quoted by Paul in Romans 3:15-17, which starts back in verse 10 with the words, "There is none righteous, no not one." Paul tells us here that we are all sinners – Jews and Gentiles alike – so we should be careful in being too judgmental of Isaiah's listeners, for "we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
9-11 We look for justice and righteousness, but there is none; we grope and stumble and moan, but there is no salvation.
12-15 Our sins testify against us; we know we have turned away from God; there is no truth in the public square.
16-17 The LORD saw this and saw there was no one to intervene, so he put on a breastplate of righteousness, a helmet of salvation, and garments of vengeance. This sounds familiar, doesn't it? In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are told to wear the breastplate and the helmet, but the garments of vengeance are exclusively God's.
18-19 He will repay his adversaries on the coastlands: He will come ashore like a pent-up stream, and they will fear his name and his glory. The specifics of the "coastlands" here is a reminder that this is both an immediate justice for his people and a prophecy of the one who will come to bestow righteousness and salvation on the faithful.
20-21 He will come to Zion as Redeemer for those who turn from sin. He will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Isaiah 56-57

Isaiah 56
1-8 The Covenant Extended to All Who Obey

1 "Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come." Simple words, but which require wisdom in order to discern what is just and right and courage to follow through.
2 Happy is the mortal who does this, keeps the sabbath and refrains from doing evil.
3-5 I will bless foreigners and eunuchs who keep my covenant even more than my own sons and daughters and will give them an everlasting name. I'm enjoying the readings in this section because they refer to our place in God's kingdom, to one of my favorite themes: the inclusion of all believers -- no matter their heritage, culture, or economic status. Peter declares the same in Acts 10:34-35: Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." As good as it is to see our new U.S. President's passion for unity in our government and our country, I suspect his purposes may be futile. True unity comes only when we all submit to the perfect pattern, Jesus Christ. Even for people who subscribe to the divine standard, unity is difficult. Without the acknowledgement that there is indeed only one true and perfect standard, unity is impossible.
6-8 I will bring to my holy mountain those foreigners who love and serve the LORD, who keep my Sabbaths. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices. Since I believe this passage is talking about the Christian age, it would seem to indicate that Christians should be observing the sabbath. And I might believe it, were it not for Hebrews 4:4-11, which speaks of God's resting on the sabbath and applying it to Christians not as a day of rest, but as an eternal rest: 9 So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. There is also every indication that the apostles and churches of the New Testament met and worshiped on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

9-12 The Corruption of Israel's Rulers

9-12 You wild animals in the forest can come and devour my people, because their sentinels (leaders) are blind, ignorant, lazy and greedy. The shepherds are also self-centered, seeking only to indulge their own appetites.

Isaiah 57
1-13 Israel's Futile Idolatry

1-2 The place of the righteous among the idolatrous: they perish, but no one cares. They will be vindicated, however, and will be taken away from calamity and enter into peace. This must refer to a physical death and spiritual life. Otherwise, it is contradictory. It is certainly true that the worldly cannot understand this dichotomy.
3-10 As for the rest of you, this is my indictment:

• You are children of a sorceress, adulterer and whore
• You mock because you are children of transgression
• You burn with lust among the oaks and slaughter your children in the valleys
• You offer drink and grain offerings to rocks
• You set your beds and offer sacrifices on the mountains
• You have deserted me and gone whoring after pagan gods
• Even though you grow tired in all your wanderings, you do not give them up.

11-13 When I keep silent, you lose respect for me. But your devotion to your idols is misplaced; being subject to the elements, they cannot help you. I will bless those who take refuge in me.

14-21 Promise of Help and Healing

14-15 Eventually, some will come back to me, and I will clear the path for those who are contrite and humble in spirit.
16-19 I will not always be angry with my people for their wicked covetousness; I will heal them, comfort them and give them peace.
20-21 But the wicked, like a tossing sea, will continue to bring up muck. For them there will never be any peace. Whew! Is this not an apt description of those in our society who are so militant in pushing their godless behavior on others? They will not be satisfied until everyone accepts their lifestyle choices, viciously and hatefully attacking those who would dare call it sin.

Isaiah 54-55

Isaiah 54
1-17 The Eternal Covenant of Peace

1-3 Rejoice, you who were barren; you will have more children than the married woman. Build a bigger tent, for your family will grow and take over the land. In the immediate context, this is a comfort to those in Babylonian captivity, for they have been squelched in Babylon. But when they return they will again prosper; their families will grow. I see it as a welcome to the Gentiles – those who are not physical offspring of Abraham and Sarah. It's a theme that begins at least back in Genesis 12 when God promises Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed and extends into the letters of Paul to the Christians in the first century. Even today we see that more physical Gentiles than physical Jews have accepted Christ and his salvation.
4-8 Forget the shame of your youth, the disgrace of your widowhood, because your Maker is now your husband. Though I abandoned you for a while, I will now have compassion on you out of an everlasting love. Again, this can be applied both to the Hebrew nation in captivity and to the Gentiles whom God would accept, according to Romans 9:25: "As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call "my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved.' "
9-10 Just as I (God) swore in the days of Noah I would never again destroy the earth with a flood, so my covenant of peace will not be removed from you. This also addresses both physical and spiritual Israel, which includes those of physical Israel who accept Christ as the Messiah.
11-12 I am about to build a glorious house for you. This has to be understood in a spiritual context (much as heaven is described in physical terms in Revelation 21:19), because the rebuilt temple certainly did not have a foundation of sapphires.
13-14 Your children shall be taught by the LORD (see John 6:45); you shall be established in righteousness.
15-17 I will not take the part of your enemies; no weapon of man can destroy you. This is your heritage as my servants.

Isaiah 55
1-13 An Invitation to Abundant Life

1-5 Come, you thirsty and hungry, eat what is good: listen to me, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. The covenant I had with my beloved David will be extended to all nations. In Jesus' words in John 6:35: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
6-9 Familiar verses here: "Seek the LORD while he may be found...." and "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways...."
10-11 As the rain and snow return to the heavens, so shall my word not return to me empty. It shall accomplish my purposes.
12-13 You shall go out in joy and come back in peace; the mountains and hills will sing, and the trees will applaud, cypress and myrtle will replace thorn and brier as a memorial to God. The righteousness of Christ will replace the consequences of sin, which was symbolized by thorns and briers in Genesis 3:18, after the sin of Adam and Eve.

Isaiah 51-53

Isaiah 51
1-23 Blessings in Store for God's People

1-3 Listen, you who seek righteousness: "Look to the rock from which you were hewn": Abraham (and Sarah), who was only one when I called, but who became many. Likewise I will bless Zion, making an oasis out of a desert.
4-6 Listen, my people: My teaching and my justice will be a light to all peoples. The heavens and earth will pass away, but my salvation will be forever. The eloquent poetry here in essence foreshadows Jesus' words in Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." Salvation is in God's teaching, in His word, and in His Word, the Messiah.
7-8 Listen, you who know righteousness: Do not fear the reproach of others, for they will be destroyed, but my salvation is to all generations.
9-11 Response: Lord, use your strong arm – the one that rescued us from the hands of the Egyptians – to rescue us once more, so that the ransomed will return to Zion with singing and everlasting joy.
12-16 God: I am the one who comforts you; there is no need to be afraid of vulnerable men. I am the One who created the heavens and the earth, and I can and will free the oppressed, for you are my people.
17-20 Stand up, you who are realizing punishment from the LORD. There is no one to rescue you; your children experience the wrath of the LORD. The commentaries don't agree on this one. Some say it refers to the unrepentant Jews during the time of Christ; others say it describes their state in Babylon before their rescue. I tend to agree with the second interpretation in context; though of course the first applies as a general rule. If we don't depend on God, if we rebel against him, no mortal can rescue us from his anger – but he can.
21-23 Hear this, you who are wounded: I will take the cup of wrath from your hand and will place it in the hands of your tormentors, "who have said to you, 'Bow down, that we may walk on you.'" I will punish those whom I have used to punish you. (Even more evidence that the previous passage must refer to their misery in Babylonian Captivity.)

Isaiah 52
1-12 Let Zion Rejoice

1-2 O Jerusalem, awake, get dressed, shake off the dust, for the uncircumcised and the unclean will enter you no more. You are once again my holy city, unadulterated by unbelievers.
3-6 My people were sold for nothing; they shall be redeemed for nothing. Just as I freed them from slavery in Egypt, I will (or did) free them from the Assyrians. Because the Assyrian leaders despise(d) my name, my people shall know it. "The Assyrians" here either refers to Babylon or is another example of how God can rescue his people.
7-10 How beautiful are the feet of the messengers of peace and salvation, who announce the LORD's return to Jerusalem, whose salvation the whole world will see. See Romans 10:15 for a New Covenant context.
11-12 Purify yourselves before you carry out the vessels of the LORD. You don't need to hurry - the LORD will both lead you from the front and protect you from the rear. In immediate context, this would refer to the priests and Levites carrying temple vessels back to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 1:5-11). In the spiritual context, seeing Romans 10:15 talks about evangelists, this would refer to those who carry the word of God to others. See 1 Peter 1:14-16

13-15 The Suffering Servant
Note: I tread carefully here, because a paraphrase can only ruin the beauty of this passage. From here to the end of Chapter 53 I consider one of the most significant and poignant passages in the Scriptures. Isaiah could only imagine the person he wrote about; we know exactly who he is.

13-15 My servant shall prosper. As many – including world leaders – as marvel at his marred appearance shall marvel at his glorious appearance.

Chapter 53
1-12 The Suffering Servant (cont'd)

1-3 Who would have believed that the "arm of the LORD" would come from nowhere, look like a nobody, and be rejected, despised and disdained by so many?
4-6 He looks despicable to us because he's carrying around our own ugliness – our sins and our punishment. Oh yes, we've all sinned; we all have our share in those bruises we see on him.
7-9 Yet he never complained about his unjust punishment, a humiliating and painful death, with a private burial not in a family tomb but in the tomb of a wealthy stranger.
10-12 Yet his painful death will result in a long life through those that benefit from his sacrifice. In their lives, he lives on, satisfied because of their righteousness, their purity that comes from his bearing their sins. He will be called great because he became like a sinner in order to carry the sins of others.

Isaiah 49-50

Isaiah 49
1-7 The Servant's Mission

1-4 Listen, you people far away, the LORD called me before I was born, prepared and protected me, calling me Israel, his servant. Even though I have felt useless, my cause and my reward are with him. A message from the Messiah to Gentiles about the nature of his birth, the power of his word (the sword), and the failure of the Jews to accept his message.
5-6 The LORD has given me strength to gather Israel to him, and not only Israel only, but all nations.
7 For a time Christ as servant would be despised by those in power, but in due time they will recognize his authority and power.

8-26 Zion's Children to Be Brought Home

8-12 In the "day of salvation" God will send the Messiah to call sinners out of darkness, giving them the sustenance and direction they need along the road to freedom.
13 The LORD's compassion is cause for rejoicing in the heavens and earth.
14-18 Israel perceives the LORD has forgotten them, but sooner will a woman forget her nursing child than I will forget my people. I will make you stronger than any who would destroy you.
19-21 You will be surprised when that which was once desolate will be so crowded the young will want to move away to get more space. Judah, once in exile, will be returned to their country of birth. As a prophecy of the church, what begins as a "Jewish sect" of followers of Christ, will swell into a world of Gentiles who accept him as the Savior, which Jews could never have fathomed.
22-23 The nations (Gentile Christians) will carry on your heritage as the chosen ones of God. You will be part of the same royal nation, and they will honor you. 1 Peter 2:9-10 - "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...."
24-26 Though under usual circumstances you can't take captives from a tyrant, I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children, causing your enemies to destroy themselves, so all will know that I am the LORD your Savior and your Redeemer. Applicable both to Judah's release from Babylonian captivity and to what God did through his Messiah.

Isaiah 50
1-3 Zion's Children to Be Brought Home (cont'd)

1-3 You were taken into slavery because of your sins, because you did not trust in me to save you. There is no one else to blame.

4-11 The Servant's Humiliation and Vindication

4-6 Words of the Messiah: The LORD God has made me a teacher and a learner. I did not rebel, but submitted to both physical and verbal abuse.
7-9 Because the LORD God helps me I have courage to face whatever comes, for I know he will vindicate me. Therefore, with those who stand with me, I will face my enemies until they have no more strength.
10-11 Who among you fears God, walking in faith, trusting and relying on God? Be warned, those of you who would trust in your own light – the fire you build for yourselves – all you will receive from my hand is torment.

Isaiah 46-48

Isaiah 46
1-13 Cyrus, God's Instrument (cont'd)

1-2 Babylonian idols Bel and Nebo bow down and weigh down their people; they cannot save them from captivity.
3-4 Listen to me, O Israel. I am the one who carried you from birth to death, the one who will save you.
5-7 Compare that to idols of gold. You must carry them! They don't take care of you; they can't even hear you.
8-11 Remember, you transgressors, that I am God, and there is no other. I have planned the world from the beginning. Now I will use a man from a far country [Cyrus] to carry out my purposes. What I speak comes to pass.
12-13 You stubborn of heart, my deliverance is not far off. I think he's warning them that if they want to be part of his deliverance, they need to repent.

Isaiah 47
1-15 The Humiliation of Babylon

1-4 Sit in the dust, virgin daughter Babylon – your nakedness is about to be uncovered; you will be humiliated. "I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one."
5-7 You shall lose your place among nations. I gave my people into your hands, and you showed them no mercy. You were arrogant, thinking you were indestructible.
8-9 You who say "I am, and there is no one besides me," you will lose your husbands and your children, in spite of your sorcery and enchantments.
10-11 You thought no one could see your wickedness, that you were invincible. But evil, disaster, and ruin will come upon you completely and suddenly.
12-13 Go ahead! Cling to your magic. Maybe it will work for you. Maybe those who look to the stars for guidance will be able to save you.
14-15 But no, they cannot even save themselves from the fire. Those to whom you have devoted your labor cannot save you.

Isaiah 48
1-22 God the Creator and Redeemer

1-2 Hear, O Israel, you descendants of Judah, who invoke the God of Israel but not in truth or right.
3-5 I declared things long ago because you are stubborn, and I didn't want you to give credit to your idols. "Things long ago" probably refer to his prophecies to Abraham, to their release from bondage in Egypt and to the conquering of Canaan.
6-8 Today I am declaring new things that you have never heard [to show you again that I am LORD], because you've always been rebellious. "New things" - that Cyrus will conquer Babylon.
9-11 I hold back my anger for my own name's sake, so that my name will not be profaned. Not for their sake, but for the sake of his name and reputation as the God of the Israelites. They had to survive so that God's name would be glorified.
12-13 Listen to the one who is first and last. When I speak, even heaven and earth listen.
14-16 Gather and listen. He [Cyrus] will succeed against Babylon, because I have called him. This also has Messianic overtones, particularly verses 15-16: "I have called him...the Lord GOD [Adonai YHWH] has sent me and his spirit."
17-19 Thus says the LORD: I lead you in the way you should go. If you had listened to me, 1) you would be prosperous; 2) your offspring would be like the sands; 3) their name would never be cut off from me.
20-21 Go out from Babylon and proclaim how the LORD has redeemed his people, providing water in the desert.
22 "There is no peace for the wicked."

Isaiah 44-45

Isaiah 44
1-8 God's Blessing on Israel

1-5 O Israel, the one who made you will nourish you and pour his spirit on your descendants; they will continue your legacy.
6-8 Thus says the LORD, "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." Do not fear, or be afraid.

9-20 The Absurdity of Idol Worship

• All those who make idols and all those devoted to idols shall be put to shame.
• The ironsmith is so intent on his idol-making he becomes faint from hunger and thirst before he finishes. A person sacrificing himself for his belief doesn't make his belief valid.
  
• The carpenter cuts down trees to make his craft: part of the wood he burns for fuel; the other part he fashions into an idol.
• He cannot see the irony in what he has done because he has lost all his understanding. He is deluded. See 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12, about people who refuse to love the truth, so that "God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false..."

21-28 Israel Is Not Forgotten

21-22 Remember, Jacob and Israel, I formed you, I have not forgotten you, I have removed your sins. Return to me.
23 Sing, oh heavens and earth, for the LORD has redeemed Israel!
24-28 I am the LORD, who made all things. I frustrate liars and the wise, but I fulfill my messengers' words. I declare that Jerusalem will be rebuilt and I will use Cyrus as my shepherd.

Isaiah 45
1-19 Cyrus, God's Instrument

1-7 The LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed: though you do not know me, I give you power to subdue nations so you may know that I am the LORD, that it is for the sake of my people Israel that I arm you. God declares here that he is not a localized God, but that he will use other nations to carry out his plans.
8 "...let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up."
9-12 Woe to you who strive with your Maker. Will the clay pot complain to the potter? Will you question me about my children? Paul uses this same language in Romans 9:19-24 in defense of God's using the Jews to accomplish his ultimate purpose of bringing Gentiles into his fold. He even makes reference back to Isaiah in verse 27 of the same chapter.
13-14 In righteousness Cyrus will build my city and set my exiles free, and eventually Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sabeans will follow you and recognize that I am with you, and that there is no other god beside me.
15-17 They will say I have been hidden and will be ashamed of their idols. But Israel will not be ashamed.
18-19 But I have not been hidden. I created the heavens and earth and made the earth for habitation. "I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right."

20-25 Idols Cannot Save Babylon

20-21 To those who pray to wooden idols that cannot save, remember that I declared long ago that this would happen.
22-23 "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!...To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." The last part of this passage is repeated in Romans 14:10-11, which seems to be a quote from Isaiah, and Philippians 2:10-11, where it expands to declare that everyone will recognize Jesus as Lord.
24-25 Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength; all who were incensed against him shall be ashamed. I like the word incensed in the RSV (and the ASV) translations. Don't we see a lot of people today who are "incensed" that people who take the Bible seriously would object to killing our young and encouraging the practice of homosexuality?

Isaiah 42-43

Isaiah 42
1-9 The Servant, a Light to the Nations (Clearly Messianic)

1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights..." An expression of the love of a Father for his child, though we don't usually refer to our children as "servants" or as "chosen," which distinguishes this child from others.
2-4 He has my spirit; will bring forth justice; will not cry, or break a bruised reed; will faithfully bring forth justice in the earth.
5 Thus says the LORD, who created the heavens and the earth and who gives breath to all people
6-7 I have called you to righteousness, and given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon
8-9 My name is LORD; I give my praise to no other. Former things are done; I tell you of new things

10-20 A Hymn of Praise

10-12 The whole earth praise the LORD with a new song
13 The LORD goes forth like a soldier, with fury and might
14-17 For a long time I have been quiet. Now I will cry out like a woman in labor, laying waste mountains and hills, leading the blind, smoothing rough places, turning back those who trust in graven images.

21-25 Israel's Disobedience

21 The LORD magnified and glorified his teaching.
22-24 But his people were trapped in sin, with no one to rescue them, and the LORD gave them up because of their disobedience.
25 Even punishment did not bring Israel to its senses.

Isaiah 43
1-28 Restoration and Protection Promised

1-2 Do not fear, O Israel, he who created you will be with you through floods and fire.
3-7 I will pay the ransom to bring you and your children back from the east, west, north and south
8-9 Bring the blind with eyes and the deaf with ears (your idols), assemble, and let them speak up.
10-13 Understand that there is no God but the LORD; no one can deliver from my hand.
14 For your sake I will turn the shouting of the Chaldeans to lamentations.
15-17 I, the Creator of Israel, will overpower armies.
18-21 Do not remember the old things; I am about to do a new thing, making a way in the wilderness, where wild animals honor me, giving drink to my people.
22-24 Yet you have not called on me, nor honored me. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins.
25-28 I am the One who will blot out your transgressions. Take me to court to prove your case; see that you have been punished for your sins.

Isaiah 40-41

Isaiah 40
God's People Are Comforted [A Psalm]

1-2 Comfort my people, for Jerusalem has paid double for all her sins.
3-5 A voice cries out: "...prepare the way of the LORD, make straight...a highway for our God....The uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain." Fulfilled in John the Baptist, Matthew 3:3 and other gospel accounts.
6-8 People are like grass, no more constant than the flowers of the field. "The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever." (See James 1:11) Man is weak and subject to worldly elements...
9-11 Proclaim God to the cities of Judah. He comes with might; he will feed his flock, gathering lambs in his arms and gently leading the mother sheep. ...but God is mighty and takes care of his own.
12-17 Who is mightier than God? There is no one who can direct him or teach him. The nations are like a drop "from a bucket...and dust on the scales." This reminds me of the last words of God to Job in chapter 38.
18-21 Would you compare God to an idol, made by man?
21-22 Don't you know it is God who "sits above the circle of the earth...who stretches out the heavens like a curtain....?"
23-24 Dignitaries of the earth are scarcely planted before he "blows on them, and they wither."
25-26 Who is my equal? says the Holy One.
27-31 God sees you, Jacob and Israel. He is everlasting, never tiring, giving strength to the weary.

30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 41
1-20 Israel Assured of God's Help

1 Let the people renew strength; let us draw near together for judgment.
2-10 The nations on the coastland have reason to fear the LORD, but I will strengthen my servant Israel. "I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
11-13 You will not be able to find your enemies, because they shall be as nothing.
14-16 I will help you overcome your enemies, and you shall rejoice in the LORD.
17-20 When the poor and needy seek water, I will provide it in rivers and fountains and will plant trees in the forest, so that all will know that the LORD has done this.

21-29 The Futility of Idols

21-24 Challenge to false gods: Tell us the future; tell us the past; do good, or do harm, "that we may be afraid and terrified." But, of course, you can't, for you are nothing. "Whoever chooses you is an abomination."
25-29 I "stirred up" one from the north, who will trample on rulers. No one else predicted this; their gods were silent, for "they are all a delusion...their images are empty wind." Commentators see this as a prophecy of the invasion of Cyrus the Mede, some 150 years later.

Isaiah 36-39

Isaiah 36-37

Note: This is almost word for word the same account as 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 (except that it does not include 2 Kings 18:14-16, the account of Hezekiah's stripping the temple of its valuables).

36:1-22 Sennacherib Threatens Judah (2 Kings 18:13-37)
37:1-13 Hezekiah Consults Isaiah (2 Kings 19:1-13)
37:14-35 Hezekiah's Prayer and God's Answer (2 Kings 19:14-34)
37:36-38 Sennacherib's Defeat and Death (2 Kings 19:35-37)

Isaiah 38
1-22 Hezekiah's Illness

• Verses 1-8 read the same as 2 Kings 18:1-11, except for the instruction about the figs and Hezekiah's request for a sign, which are in verses 21 and 22.
  
• 9-16 After Hezekiah regains his health, he pens a poem to describe his emotions about his sickness and recovery, describing how distraught he was that he would die "in the noontide" of his days, how he moaned "like a dove," and pleaded with God to restore him to health.
• 17-20 Continuing his poem, he recognizes God's answer to his prayer: "Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you...The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this day...and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD."

Isaiah 39
1-8 Envoys from Babylon Welcomed
This tells the same story as 2 Kings 20:12-19. It does not mention Hezekiah's death from verses 20-21 of 2 Kings 20.

Isaiah 32-35

Isaiah 32
1-8 Government with Justice Predicted

• 1-2 A king will reign in righteousness and will be a place of protection for his people, a "shade of a great rock in a weary land." From which we get our "Jesus is a rock in a weary land"!
  
• 3-4 Eyes will be opened to understand, the rash will have good judgment, stammerers will speak distinctly.
• 5 No longer will fools be called noble or villains said to be honorable.
• 6-8 Fools speak folly and practice ungodliness; villains scheme to ruin the poor; but the noble stand by noble things.

9-15 Complacent Women Warned of Disaster

• 9-13 You women who are at ease, rise up; tremble; put on sackcloth; beat your breasts.
• 10 For in little more than a year, you will shudder.
• 14-15 The palace will be forsaken, the city deserted, until a spirit from on high is poured out on us.

16-20 The Peace of God's Reign

• 16-17 Justice and righteousness will prevail, resulting in peace, quietness and trust forever.
• 18-20 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, sowing beside streams, letting the ox and donkey range freely.
  

Isaiah 33
1-16 A Prophecy of Deliverance from Foes

• 1 O destroyer, when you stop destroying, you will be destroyed
• 2-5 Prayer: LORD, be gracious to us, save us. The enemy will scatter before you, for you dwell on high.
• 6 The LORD is stability, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Fear of God is Zion's treasure. A great quote for the day. To fear God is a gift, something to be highly valued and protected.
  
• 7-9 The valiant cry; highways are deserted; the treaty is broken; the land mourns and languishes.
• 10-12 Says the LORD, I will arise when you have destroyed yourselves.
• 13-14 Hear my voice, you sinners. You cannot withstand my power.
  
• 15-16 The righteous will live on the heights, receiving refuge and sustenance. Even without a perfect understanding of the fulfillment of this prophecy, this is the general theme of all prophecy, is it not? The rebellious will eventually suffer for their sins; but God will reward His own: the faithful, the righteous, the repentant.
  

17-24 The Land of the Majestic King

• 17-19 No longer will you see the insolent people with their obscure speech.
• 20-22 You will see the king in Zion, which will be immovable, with the LORD as judge, ruler, king, and savior.
• 23-24 Israel's enemies will lose their power over Jerusalem ("your rigging hangs loose"), and the inhabitants will be forgiven their iniquity.

Isaiah 34
1-17 Judgment on the Nations

• 1-4 The LORD is enraged against all the nations and has given them over to slaughter.
• 5-7 My sword will descend upon Edom; their land shall be soaked with blood.
• 8-11 Smoke from Edom will go up forever, and only small animals and birds will live there.
• 12-17 It shall be called "No Kingdom There," a land of thorns, jackals, wildcats, and buzzards, who shall possess the land forever.

Isaiah 35
1-10 The Return of the Redeemed to Zion

• 1-2 The desert will rejoice and blossom, seeing the glory of the LORD.
• 3-4 Strengthen the weak hands and knees, for the LORD is coming to save you.
• 5-6 "The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped." Fulfilled at delivery from Babylon and Assyria, but ultimately in the Messiah. See Matthew 11:5.
• 7-10 The ransomed of the LORD will return safely to Zion, where water will flow freely, danger from wild beasts will not be found, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.

Isaiah 29-31

Isaiah 29
1-16 The Siege of Jerusalem

• 1-4 Jerusalem will be to me like an Ariel (altar hearth); from the dust you will speak to me.
• 5-8 Your foes will be like dust. The LORD will visit you with thunder and earthquake, and your enemies will dream of conquering you, like a hungry person who dreams of eating and wakes up hungry.
• 9-10 Stupefy yourselves, for the LORD has closed the eyes of the seers.
• 11-12 The vision is sealed for those who can read; it is given to those who are unable to read. In other words, God will blind those who do not want to see.
  
• 13-14 "Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;" I will do shocking things with this people. "The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden." See Mark 7:6-8 for one fulfillment of the first quote, and 1 Corinthians 1:19 for an application of the second.
• 15-16 If you who think you can hide your deeds from me, you have it all upside down. "Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? Shall the thing made say of its maker, 'He did not make me'; or the thing formed say of the one who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?" Applied again in Romans 9:20. Isaiah deals in principles here. Though his words are quoted later, the principles can apply throughout ages, since we have an endless tendency to elevate ourselves above God, even while thinking we are honoring him. We can and do become too wise in our own eyes.
  

17-24 Hope for the Future

• 17-21 There will come a day when people will rise out of the dust and hear the word of the LORD, when the needy will exult, and the tyrant shall be no more.
• 22-24 The LORD who redeemed Abraham says his children will stand in awe of God. Even those who grumble will receive instruction.

Isaiah 30
1-7 The Futility of Reliance on Egypt

• 1-5 It is rebellious and foolish to make an alliance with Egypt and rely on her protection.
• 6-7 Egypt's help is worthless; I have called her "Rahab who sits still."

8-17 A Rebellious People

• 8-11 Write this in a book as a record, for my people rebel, persuading the prophets to prophesy only what they want to hear, "smooth things...illusions."
• 12-14 Thus says the LORD, Because you reject my word and trust deceit, your iniquity will become like the breaking of a clay pot, smashed so ruthlessly not a fragment will be found.
• 15a "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." I love this quote. What a contrast from a clay pot being smashed to bits. It reminds me of the song, "Be still, and know I am God," from Psalm 46:10.
• 15b-17 But you refused to listen and will live in fear if you think you can flee on horses.

18-26 God's promise to Zion

• To Jerusalem: God is waiting to show his mercy on you, for he is a God of justice and blesses those who wait for him.
• Even though he punishes you for a time, he will show you the way, and you will destroy your images and idols.
• He will make your crops produce, feed your cattle, bless you with water, give you sunshine, and bind up your wounds.

27-33 Judgment on Assyria

• The LORD is coming in anger, smoke, indignation and fire to destroy the nations.
• You shall sing a song of gladness as when you set out to go to the mountain of the LORD. Jerusalem will rejoice at the defeat of the Assyrians.
• Assyria will be terror-stricken at the sound of the LORD, who has been preparing a place of punishment for the king of Assyria for a long time.

Isaiah 31
1-9 Alliance with Egypt Is Futile

• 1-3 Alas for those who rely on Egypt's many chariots and strong horsemen instead of the Holy One of God, for the Egyptians are only human; their horses are only flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper and the helped will perish together.
• 4-5 Like a lion protecting its prey, like birds hovering overhead, the LORD will protect and deliver Jerusalem.
• 6-9 People of Israel, turn back to him whom you have betrayed. Throw away your idols, and you see Assyria fall - but not by the sword of mortals.
  

Isaiah 25-28

Isaiah 25
1-12 Praise for Deliverance from Oppression

• 1-5 I praise you for your deeds: your power against evil nations, your protection of your people.
• 6-10 On this mountain the LORD will prepare a sumptuous meal for his people, wiping their tears and removing their disgrace, and they will rejoice in his salvation. "Then the LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces." (See Revelation 21:4)
  
• 11-12 The Moabites will be struck down and disgraced in their place.

Isaiah 26
1-21 Judah's Song of Victory

• 1-6 The land of Judah will sing about their victorious city, where in peace they trust God, for he has brought low the lofty city.
• 7-8 O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
• 9-10 When things go well, the perverse learn nothing. They learn only when you bring judgment on them.
• 11 "Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them." John 2:17 may not be a direct fulfillment of verse 11, but it certainly is an answer to Isaiah's prayer.
  
• 11-15 We acknowledge you alone; you have obliterated our enemies and increased our nation.
• 16-19 You ignored the prayer of the wicked for renewal, but you heard our cries; your dead shall live.
• 20-21 My people, hide yourselves until the wrath of the LORD is past. He will come, exposing the world's wrath. Here it seems like the punishment comes not from God -- he only reveals all the ugly things that have been happening and allows the wicked to destroy themselves.

Isaiah 27
1-12 Israel's Redemption

• 1 "On that day" God will punish Leviathan (the enemy).
• 2-5 "On that day" I will take care of my people as I would a vineyard, guarding it and pruning it. Let it make peace with me.
• 6 "In days to come Jacob shall take root. Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit." Romans 11:13-24 refer to Israel as the root; Romans 15:12 refers to Christ as "the root of Jesse."
• 7-11 Those who took Israel into exile will receive no mercy. Their city will be "deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness" because they are a people without understanding, and God will have no compassion on them. The commentaries I consulted all say this applies to Jerusalem, to a temporary devastation and destruction. But I don't see that. The destruction here seems total; God has no compassion. But Jerusalem was not destroyed completely, and God does show them compassion by bringing them back. With their background of history, they're probably right, but at this point I don't see it.
  
• 12-13 Triumphal entry of those returning to Jerusalem from captivity.

Isaiah 28
1-29 Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests and Prophets

• 1-4 The mighty God will overcome, hurl, and trample the drunkards of Ephraim who are bloated with rich food.
• 5-6 The LORD of hosts will represent glory, beauty, justice and strength to his people.
• 7-8 The drunk priest and prophet will stagger, err in vision, stumble in judgment
• 9-10 The prophets are so dense they cannot grasp his message all at once, but must be taught as children are taught: just a little at a time: "here a little, there a little."
• 11-13 God speaks to them in a language they do not understand. God's word is little more than a rhyme to them "here a little, there a little." It is a word of salvation, but because they do not accept it, it condemns them.
• 14-15 Hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who have made lies your refuge and falsehood your shelter:
• 16-17 "I am laying in Zion a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation." Fulfilled in Christ. See 1 Peter 2:6-8.
• 18-22 You'll want to die, but you will not be able. You will experience sheer terror when the LORD issues his decree of destruction.
• 23-26 Eventually the farmer stops plowing and sows his seed, each seed planted according to where it will grow the best. So God also prepared our souls, knowing the seeds we need to grow.
• 27-29 His reaping is also always appropriate, for "he is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom." If we respond positively to his word, we will be blessed for it. If we don't, we will be chastised by it.
  

Isaiah 22-24

Isaiah 22
1-14 Warning of Destruction of Jerusalem

• To the valley of vision. Since I'm weak on geography, Isaiah's terms for these cities and countries that are the subject of his warnings are intriguing to me: "wilderness of the sea" for Babylon, "desert plain" for Arabia in chapter 21. I would never have thought of Jerusalem as a valley because I understood people always went "up" to Jerusalem, but apparently it is surrounded by mountains higher than the mountains on which it stands. "The valley of vision" implies to me a city chosen by God to reveal himself but one that needed to temper its self-opinion. Yes, you're high, says God, but remember the mountains about you. You are not my "mountain of vision" but my "valley of vision."
  
• You have fled to your housetops; your rulers were captured without a fight. According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, this passage refers to the attack by Sennacherib in the 14th year of Hezekiah's reign (See 2 Chronicles 32:4-5, 30.)
• Turn away from me, and let me cry bitter tears, says the prophet.
  
• God is responsible for all this tumult. "He has taken away the covering of Judah."
• You cut off the water supply to the enemy for protection, but you had no regard for God, the one who gave you the means to defend yourselves.
• You were feasting when you should have been mourning.

15-25 Denunciation of Self-Seeking Officials

• Condemnation of Shebna, apparently the temple treasurer, who has supposed he will hold the office until his death, since he has built a tomb for himself there even though his relatives are not buried there.
  
• Graphic condemnation - God will roll him up like a ball and hurl him far away.
• Then God will replace him with Eliakim (Azariah) son of Hilkiah (see 1 Chronicles 6:13 and 2 Chronicles 31:13)

Isaiah 23
1-18 An Oracle concerning Tyre

• Wail (vv 1 and 6), be still (v. 2), be ashamed (v. 4). For the great merchant city will be no more.
• The Chaldeans have destined Tyre for wild animals. They will tear down her fortresses, and she will be forgotten for 70 years.
• At the end of 70 years she will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. (70 years probably refers to the period of time when Babylon was powerful, under the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach and Belshazzar, who was defeated by Cyrus the Mede, as recorded in Daniel.)
  

Isaiah 24
1-23 Impending Judgment on the Earth

• 1-3 God is about to make the earth desolate, affecting everyone, whether master or slave, buyer or seller, lender or borrower.
• 4-6 Why do the earth and heavens suffer? Because its inhabitants are disobedient.
• 7-11 The partying will cease. "All gladness of the earth is banished."
  
• 12-13 Cities will be left desolate - like bare olive trees.
• 14-16 (Now) they give glory to the LORD from west to east, but I say Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously.
• 17-20 Inescapable terror is upon you, for the earth is utterly broken because of the weight of its transgression.
• 21-23 Hosts of heaven and kings on earth will be gathered, shut up in a prison and punished while the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown have this to say about this section of Isaiah:
The four chapters (the twenty-fourth through the twenty-seventh) form one continuous poetical prophecy: descriptive of the dispersion and successive calamities of the Jews (Isaiah 24:1-12); the preaching of the Gospel by the first Hebrew converts throughout the world (Isaiah 24:13-16); the judgments on the adversaries of the Church and its final triumph (Isaiah 24:16-23); thanksgiving for the overthrow of the apostate faction (Isaiah 25:1-12), and establishment of the righteous in lasting peace (Isaiah 26:1-21); judgment on leviathan and entire purgation of the Church (Isaiah 27:1-13). Having treated of the several nations in particular--Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Edom, and Tyre (the miniature representative of all, as all kingdoms flocked into it)--he passes to the last times of the world at large and of Judah the representative and future head of the churches.

If I read it right, Matthew Henry's commentary is similar in its approach, though if JF&B are talking about a physical kingdom on earth, they don't agree. Obviously, I need to study this more in depth -- as with all of Isaiah. I see this as preliminary and look forward to the day of understanding that I'm sure will build my faith and thrill my soul -- those "Aha!" moments.

Isaiah 19-21

Isaiah 19
1-17 An Oracle concerning Egypt

• When the LORD comes "riding on a swift cloud" to Egypt, 1) their idols will tremble, 2) their hearts will melt, 3) they will fight each other (always an effective means of destruction), 4) their plans will be confounded, and 5) they will be delivered into the hand of a fierce king.
• And there's more: The Nile will dry up, which will cause 1) its tributaries to become foul, 2) crops sown by the river to fail, 3) the fisherman to lose their trade, 4) the weavers to lose their work, 5) all who work for wages to be grieved. Trickle-down economics!
• And now an indictment against Egypt's leaders. You are foolish and give stupid counsel to Pharaoh. God has caused them to become fools, deluded and as confused as drunkards.
• The Egyptians will be like women and tremble with fear.
• The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt.

18-25 Egypt, Assyria and Israel Blessed

• On that day: 5 cities will swear allegiance to God. (One will be called the City of the Sun.)
• In the center of Egypt will be an altar, and on the border a pillar to the LORD - signs of a savior to come.
• God will strike Egypt, and they will return to the LORD.
• Assyria and Egypt will be at peace and worship together -- and will be joined by Israel.
• The LORD will say, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."

Note: Commentators are all over the place on verses 18-25, depending on their point of view on prophecy. Suffice it to say that at this first reading, I'm certainly not qualified to ascertain its meaning and time of fulfillment, whether it's ancient history or to be fulfilled in Christ and His early church. Because of my point of view of Old Testament prophecy, though, I would eliminate fulfillment in our future.

Isaiah 20
1-5 Isaiah Dramatizes the Conquest of Egypt and Ethiopia

• Isaiah receives a command from God in the same year King Sargon of Assyria sends a commander-in-chief (Tartan) to defeat Ashdod.
• The command? To walk naked (probably not bare, but stripped of his outer clothes, which was demeaning to a prophet and exposed him to the elements of nature) and barefoot for 3 years as a sign that Egypt and Ethiopia would be taken captive by Assyria and would be led away naked and barefoot.
• This sight will dismay the Israelites, who have put their confidence in Ethiopia and Egypt to deliver them from Assyria.

Isaiah 21
1-17 Oracles concerning Babylon, Edom and Arabia

• Babylon: Isaiah imagines himself a watchman warning of the invasion of "the wilderness of the sea" (Babylon) by the Medes and the Persians.
• v. 10 - "The God of Israel, I announce to you." The destruction may take the form of the Medes and Persians, but it's really God's judgment on Babylon. This is an astounding phrase, and one that reminds me of Philippians 2:10-11. "...so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. " Sooner or later, all will be "introduced" to the Creator and His Son.
• Edom: The people of Dumah (a region of Edom, which probably is used for the whole country) are anxiously asking the watchman what he sees coming.
• Arabia ("the desert plain') would be overrun within a year, its citizens becoming fugitives in the wilderness. Jamieson, Fausett and Brown think this probably happened during the wars between Assyria and Egypt, because this region "lay somewhat on the intermediate line of march."

Isaiah 15-18

Isaiah 15
1-9 An Oracle concerning Moab

• Ar and Kir (two of Moab's major cities) are laid waste in one night.
  
• Dibon (the capital of ancient Moab) weeps over the destruction of Nebo (See Deuteronomy 32:9) and Medeba (Joshua 13:9), shaving their heads (or tearing their hair) and faces, wearing sackcloth.
• Heshbon and Elealeh's (near Heshbon) weeping is heard as far as Jahaz.
• Moab quivers, trembles, weeps, is desolate, loses all they have produced.
  
• Its waters are full of blood; even its fugitives will be eaten by lions -- what men do not kill, lions will.

Note: Without going into further detail about the locations of all the cities and rivers mentioned, suffice it to say that God goes into great detail about the extent of Moab's destruction. According to commentaries, this prophecy refers to an Assyrian invasion (either Shalmanezer or Sennacherib) that was to happen about three years after this prophecy.


Isaiah 16
1-13 Oracle concerning Moab (continued)

• 1-4 Moab is instructed to send lambs (or tribute) to the king in Judah (See 2 Samuel 8:2), which they had discontinued, and to escape from Sela (Petra) in Moab by way of the desert to Jerusalem, where they could seek protection.
• 5-7 At this time in Judah, the oppressor (Assyria) would have left, and the throne (Hezekiah's) is steadfast in Jerusalem.
• 6-7 Moab is a proud, boastful country and will suffer for it.
• 8-11 The prophet mourns for Moab, for the loss of its grapevines, its grain harvest, for the loss of joy and gladness.
• 12 As long Moab goes to the high places to worship, it will lose.
• 13 In 3 years, "like the years of a hired worker," Moab will be brought low, "in spite of all its great multitude; and those who survive will be very few and feeble." Where God is involved, numbers do not indicate might, much less right.

Isaiah 17
1-14 An Oracle concerning Damascus
According to Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, "This prophecy was, doubtless, given previously in the first years of Hezekiah when the foreign nations came into nearer collision with Judah, owing to the threatening aspect of Assyria."

• 1-3 Damascus will no longer be a city, but will become a field where sheep graze unafraid of danger. They will meet the same fate as Israel.
  
• 4-6 Jacob (Israel) will be brought low, made lean, left with nothing but bare stalks of grain.
• 7-9 On that day they will look to the Creator and abandon their idols.
• 10-11 Now, you have forgotten the God of your salvation. Though you perceive you are successful without Him, that success is fleeting.
• 12-14 Though the Assyrian armies were overpowering in their destruction of Israel, so they too will be destroyed by God. "He will rebuke them, and they will flee far away....This is the fate of those who despoil us, and the lot of those who plunder us." God uses evil nations to chastise his people, but he also holds those nations accountable for being evil.

Isaiah 18
1-7 An Oracle concerning Ethiopia
Commentators are unsure of the object of this prophecy -- whether it's Ethiopia, Egypt, or Assyria. At the least, it's a call to be aware of the imminent destruction of a mighty power. In the end, this power will bring homage to the City of God.

• 1-3 To the "land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia...a nation tall and smooth (other translations: "scattered and peeled")...a people feared near and far...all you inhabitants of the world...when a trumpet is blown, listen!"
• 4-6 The LORD will look quietly from his dwelling, and before the harvest, he will destroy the crops, and they will be left to the wild birds and animals
• 7 And the "people tall and smooth" will bring gifts to Mount Zion, the "place of the name of the LORD of hosts."