Indignation of the Lord Isaiah 34

Isaiah 34:1 "Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people; let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it."

Indignation is a very strong word. It means anger aroused by something unjust. While Assyria and others were used to execute judgment on Israel, there was instance of nations going beyond this chastisement and abusing Israel. I do not totally understand all that is involved here but I think of parents and their children. A parent may do something that seems extreme prompted by a single event but is actually a result of cumulative infractions of parental rules. It was like the straw that broke the camel's back. But one thing for sure, no stranger should think they will get away with stepping in and correcting the child. So, it is with Israel.

v2 "For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all nations, and his duty upon all their armies; he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter."

It is a scary thing to be on the wrong side of the Lord's anger. It will happen to the unsaved when judgment day finally comes. There will be those looks of 'why me' and I've done so much for everyone and given to charity. The problem is we will not be judged by how we followed our plan of salvation but by how we followed God's plan of salvation. It will be an awesome day. Even as a child of God, I dread facing him.

v6 "The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea."

That verse escapes me for meaning but my thoughts, as I read it, were two fold: one of the word of God which is said to be sharper than a two edged sword, and of all the sacrifices Israel made even while they were turning away from the Lord. Sacrifices were an indication of their belief in God but without loyalty they meant nothing.

Then we see a description of a great nation and city which I think refers to Babylon.

v13 "And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court of owls."

Finally, we are told as was Israel, to search through the book of records to see if things did not happen as the Lord said they would.

v16 "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read; no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate; for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them." Speaking of the owls and vultures. See also Psalm 56:8 and Malachi 3:16

So Isaiah, is going about preaching of the coming days of trial and the judgment that follows. Also, he speaks of a future day when the people will be gathered and there will be joy with their true worship of the Lord.

Egypt Isaiah 31

Isaiah 31:1 "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many;and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!"

Doesn't Israel sound a lot like all of us in our Christian life? We look every where for help when the Lord is standing there with outstretched hands.

Egypt is often used in a spiritual sense, in addition to the physical where the children of Israel fled to for protection.

Spiritually, Egypt is the place Christians often head for when things go wrong at church or in their life generally. Like Israel, they remember the food and good times but not the idols and slavery. Once we have crossed Jordan in our spiritual life, we have no business back in Egypt. The Lord is our protector now, even when things are bad.

v3 "Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh and not spirit, When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together."

What do people go back to? For some it is drugs or the bottle. They remember the friends that gathered round them and the feeling they got when all their problems seemed to disappear. Problems and troubles do not disappear just because they are forgotten in a drug or alcohol state. Someone still has to deal with them. It is only when their life comes crashing down that those returning to Egypt remember why they sought the Lord. Best to stay with what works even when times are bad.

v5 "As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem, defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it."

The Lord loves Jerusalem and loves us no less. He will defend us and preserve us if we let him.

Better days are ahead.

v7 "For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin."

So we see that it was not the best thing for Israel to flee chastisement by going down to Egypt and trusting in Egypt's horses and chariots. Those horses and chariots would be fine in a physical battle but Israel's problem is a spiritual one. They have forsaken the Lord for idols. Payday is here and there is no escape.