Isaiah 27
Isaiah 27
Hello, my dear friends and fellow Bible studiers. Thank you so much for participating in this divine moment where we are able to experience life together in the presence of the Lord. Sometimes, as we read week-to-week through Scripture it becomes routine and we forget that there is nothing routine about Scripture. When you open the Word, you are entering the presence of God, walking through the doors into his throne room. The words on the page are not just words of some ancient book but rather the inspired Word that was meant to transform life as we know it. Do not take a moment in Scripture, in the presence of your realtor, for granted. Because his love for us is so deep, God used our language to relate and reveal himself to us. That we may know him. I pray that our time in Isaiah and our time in chapter 27 will continue to allow you to know him.
We have taken some time to break down and study this small section of chapters 24-27. I felt as though these chapters were good to walk through as they reveal something profoundly true about the world of Israel and Isaiah then but also the current church today. It is in these chapters where we get to see the tale of two cities. The first was the city of man; a city covered in immorality and brokenness where God has raised his hand in opposition to them. This is contrasted with the city of righteousness whom God raises up to walk over the old destroyed city. This tale is foreshadowing a transfer from the old and into the new covenant. This new covenant is meant for the new believers who will not be saved because of lineage but rather because of who they are being transformed into. This is the church being grafted into the family of God being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Amen.
Let’s look at chapter 27 and see what we find:
V. 1 Leviathan is this great sea beast that represents chaos in the world. Sailors feared that Leviathan would cause raucous seas or capsize their boats. But his famed chaos existed even on land, Leviathan embodied the craziness of the world. It also can represent evil in the form of enemy armies. Basically, things that threaten Israel could be seen as a Leviathan.
Vv. 2-6 A radical shift in the description of the vineyard of Israel. If you remember Isa. 5:1-7, Isaiah declares that Israel has produced no good fruit from its vines. But now God is both protecting the vineyard and guaranteeing that it will produce fruit for the whole earth. This produce will come through the Lord’s constant watering and reversal of the curse of sin symbolized by the thorns and briers (see Gen. 3:18).
Vv. 7-11 God makes the argument that he has not punished Israel, his own people, in the same way that he punished other nations. Those nations who had looked to destroy Israel were themselves totally destroyed. But God showed mercy for Israel by leaving for them a remnant. Though he allowed them exile, he did so with the desire that they return to him.
Vv. 12-13 In that day, the Lord will look at Israel and God will judge each person one by one. And the Lord will gather his remnant from exile all over the world to worship together in one place.
Here are some concluding thoughts from our study:
The Two Vineyards: I encourage you to read both Isaiah 27 and Isaiah 5:1-7 so you can see the comparison between the two passages. Chapter 27 is marked with a new hope. It is a new vineyard where the thorns and briers and dead vines have been cast out. A new vine is planted that is eternally life-giving to us who are the branches. And this vine is constantly protected and watered by the Lord. Isaiah 5 is very similar, yet gives a disastrous end. This vineyard was planted with choice vines on a fertile hill. This is speaking of the foundation of Israel. Israel had choice vines: think Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David. And they were given the Promised Land. God removed the evil people from that land, so that Israel may be pure. God protected them from his watchtower that they may grow with great success. God wanted that vineyard to be a blessing to the whole world by the fruit they produced. And yet, Israel produced bad, wild grapes. So God will remove Israel, the vineyard, from their blessing. So what is the difference between chapter 5 and 27? What makes the second vineyard more capable than the first? The answer has to be the vine itself and the idea of the veil we discussed with Moses. Though Moses met with God and the evidence of that meeting radiated from his face, he veiled his face because ultimately the shine would fade. Likewise, though the vines chosen by the Lord in the first vineyard were the best, ultimately their goodness and influence would fade as it spread throughout the branches. And even though they were choice, they had some faults of their own. God needed a vine without fault. A vine that would never fade. Jesus came to be that vine, that we may be grafted to that vine and have life.
Reversal of the Curses: In the days of redemption and reconciliation, the curses in which man brought upon themselves by the sin of Adam and Eve will be reversed and we will live in the presence of the Lord as we once lived in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:17b-18 says, “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.” We see in Isaiah 27 that the Lord declares war on these curses. No longer will we have to toil and struggle over this world, but rather God grants us victory of the snags of sin and death. Rejoice in that fact, that through Christ the curse of man has been broken and we have been restored!
Jesus: Do not forget that this passage is trying to point toward the future fulfillment of the church and most importantly Christ himself. It is Christ who came to defeat Satan, chaos, and the enemies of the Lord. It is Christ who places Satan under our feet for the poor and lowly to tread upon. It is Christ who has come to be the new vine, a vine who will never wither. And it is because he is the vine that we may find abundant life as branches grafted into Christ, the life-giving vine. It is by the work of Christ that we will not be punished as other nations are punished. It is Christ who will gather the exiled and scattered faithful together to be together in one place to glorify the Lord. It is Christ that makes this passage so powerful. It is Christ who is the cornerstone of the city of God.