Isaiah 29:17-24

5. SANCTIFICATION

TEXT: Isaiah 29:17-24

17

Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

18

And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

19

The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20

For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off;

21

that make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nought.

22

Therefore thus saith Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23

But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24

They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction.

QUERIES

a.

What day will the deaf hear words of the book?

b.

Who are the children of Isaiah 29:23?

PARAPHRASE

It shall surely not be long before what seems impressive among men, great, forest-like, man-dominating world empires like Assyria will be turned into plowed fields producing fruit for the Lord. And what seems unimpressive among men, the covenant people of God, will be turned into a majestic forest. In that day, many spiritually deaf and blind will hear the word from the book of God's messengers, and they will be brought out of the darkness of falsehood and sin into the marvelous light of God's truth. The meek who have learned patience through discipline and the poor who, having no riches to buy favors, have had to commit their cause into the Lord's hands, shall all find fulfillment and joy in their trust in the Holy One of Israel. Because at this time, those who have tyrannized God's faithful ones and those who have scoffed at them and shamed them, and all those who have deliberately done evil to them shall be overcome. In that day justice will reign in God's kingdom. Those who try to make the innocent appear to be the guilty, those who try to impugn the integrity of judges, and those who take bribes to pervert justice will be overcome. So, the God who redeemed Abraham from a world of sin, says concerning the progeny of Jacob, the messianic people, You shall never be ashamed of your God again when that day arrives. In that day, Jacob's progeny shall see the work of God in all its fulfillment in their midst in the person of the Messiah, and they shall sanctify themselves unto Him, in reverence and awe to His name. That God keeps His word will be so thoroughly proven then, Jacob's progeny will openly and unashamedly acknowledge Him as the Holy One of Israel. Many of those who had erred will be enlightened, and many who had found fault will learn the truth.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 29:17-21 REDEMPTION: God predicts through Isaiah that He is going to work a transformation of the people described in Chapter s Isaiah 28:1 to Isaiah 29:16. This nation of stupid, unstable, sullen people is to form the basis for a changed society sanctified unto the Holy One of Israel. God is going to refocus the ideas of men concerning the value of human structures versus God's kingdom. Human sovereignty and human schemes (such as the world-encompassing empires have formed to build human utopiasfrom ancient Babylon to modern Communism) are going to be hewn down, brought low and made to be fields from which God's kingdom will reap its citizenry. The helplessness of human schemes of salvation is going to be demonstrated by centuries of judgments and redemptions of the Jewish nation and by one great historic act of God when He takes what men have counted as common and unimpressive (the covenant believers) and makes them like a majestic forest in the Messiah and His church. Lebanon (a great forest) represents Assyria and all succeeding world-utopian-schemes. It will be brought low. Judah (a fruitful field) represents the faithful covenant people of God. It will be esteemed as a forest. Part of the sanctifying process is a reorientation of men's sense of valuesa regeneration of their thinking. All the history of the Hebrew people between Isaiah and the Messiah will be given to this goal of reorienting the thinking of those who will believe. It will involve all the captivities, oppressions, deliverances, restorations predicted by the prophets (esp. Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah) and will culminate in the death and resurrection of the Messiah and the establishment of His church.

When that process takes place, some of the spiritually deaf and blind (those who have excluded God from their plans and have turned to human programs and rulers, Egypt, Assyria, etc.) will pay heed to the words of the prophets (like Isaiah) who have delivered God's revealed wisdom in books. They will be enlightened and come to know the truth about where man's salvation liesnot in Egypt (or any human-utopia)but in Jehovah and His covenant. Those who walk in darkness will see a great light (Isaiah 9:1-2) and the veil will be lifted (Isaiah 25:6-9).

A reorientation of values concerning what kind of people God chooses as His own will be necessary also. The meek and the poor, who have little to rejoice over in relationship to worldly circumstances, are going to have a joyful inheritance. Through a program of decisive reversals of successive human schemes to rule mankind God is going to demonstrate the only viable program of salvation and regeneration. That program will be one of belief and obedience to His beneficent and sovereign will. Kings and kingdoms will crumble into dust. Pagan philosophies and religions will show themselves to be more harmful than helpful. But the meek and poor humble believers in the Lord will show that keeping his commandments changes man into the image of his Creator and transforms man into a holy, good, honest, true, loving person. The Hebrew word aoriyts in Isaiah 29:20 may be translated violent, fierce, tyrannical one. Three classes of ungodly will be removed from the midst of God's new society (the messianic kingdom). God's redemption will rescue those who trust Him from all who want to destroy their soulstyrants, scoffers and evil-doers. The prophet is not saying that those who kill the body will be cut off. As long as the present world exists there will be tyrants, scoffers and evil-doers killing and persecuting believers. But they can destroy only the body. Those who trust in the Lord will be rescued from the spiritual destruction these ungodly ones can cause. God's new society will also be characterized by the absence of dishonest, unjust, greedy persons (Isaiah 29:21).

Isaiah 29:22-24 REGENERATION: The Lord, Jehovah, rescued Abraham from idolatrous Ur of the Chaldees. As a result of his redemption Abraham became a changed man. He became a giant of the faith-named by God as a friend of God (cf. Hebrews 11:8-12; James 2:21-24). Just so, God's redemption of the progeny (house) of Jacob will bring about regeneration, spiritual rebirth. The descendants of Jacob (those who believe and trust Godboth Jew and Gentile; cf. Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 3:6 ff; Galatians 6:16; etc.) will be changed in attitude and deed. Israel oftentimes thought of herself as inferior to the rich, powerful, sophisticated, indulgent pagan nations surrounding her. Her consuming desire was to be like the nations. She was ashamed of her God. But when God culminates His great redemptive program, Jacob's spiritual descendants will change their minds (repent) of that attitude. The RSV more properly translates the latter half of Isaiah 29:22 ... Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.

In view of the context we think Isaiah 29:23 could be paraphrased as follows: When the covenant nation sees true children of God, the work of God's hands, in its midst, many of the nation will be converted and set apart in the new, messianic kingdom, the church. Many will sanctify God and revere Him as sovereign of their lives. The fulfillment of this may be readily seen in the book of Acts of Apostles. When God had completed His great redemptive work in the death and resurrection of Christ, the church was begun on the Day of Pentecost. Those converted Jews began to go into all the world preaching and living the gospel. Thousands upon thousands, seeing true children of God, the work of God's hands, sanctified the name of the Lord in their lives also. This was a great manifestation of regeneration of the house of Jacob from what they were in Isaiah's day!

Those wandering in spirit and those finding fault (Isaiah 29:24) will also be regenerated in their attitude. These are the spiritually blind and deaf. The history of Israel is replete with wanderers and murmurers (cf. Hebrews 3:7 ff, etc.). They wandered in spirit because they succumbed to false teachings, and they murmured resisting the truth. Isaiah connects regeneration and sanctification directly to instruction and understanding. Conversion begins in the mind. Sanctification (continuing conversion) is a continuing mental process. Neither conversion nor sanctification comes to any man unless it comes through the process of learning, understanding and practicing the truth! No one can be converted without knowing what the Bible says. No one can continue in the sanctified life without knowing, understanding and practicing what the Bible says. Teaching and preaching the word of God is not just importantit is crucial! Knowing and understanding the word of the Lord would be a complete change from the Israel of Isaiah's day (cf. Hosea 4:1-6, etc.).

QUIZ

1.

Who is Lebanon and who is the fruitful field?

2.

Why is God going to change the position of the two mentioned above?

3.

Who are the meek and poor and what will be their new circumstances?

4.

Why mention the redemption of Abraham?

5.

Name three changes of attitude that Isaiah predicts will take place in Jacob's house.

6.

What does instruction and understanding have to do with conversion and sanctification?