Tyre and Sidon, two
neighboring cities in Southern Lebanon, were once part of the kingdom of
Jerusalem, during the Crusades.
Jesus visited the area and many followed him.
Jesus visited the area and many followed him.
The inhabitants fled
Sidon when it was taken by Ascelon of Philistia, and the rebuilt in Tyre.
As such, Tyre was called the daughter of Sidon, but later also called the daughter of Tarshish, because her fall left Tarshish as the dominant city.
As such, Tyre was called the daughter of Sidon, but later also called the daughter of Tarshish, because her fall left Tarshish as the dominant city.
Later Daniel
prophesied the fall of Tyre to Alexander the Great. However, the fall to
Babylon is recorded here and duly bemoaned by Isaiah.
The original city was the
heavily fortified land-side city of Ushu, which had two important ports,
although only the north port remains.
Ushu resisted
Nebuchadnezzar for 13 years, before they relocated to the rocky promontory a few
hundred yards into the Mediterranean. There Tyre resisted Alexander for 7
months.
The words of Isaiah
are a lament, a woe for the future of Tyre. The witnesses are called to stand
in silence over the sadness of it all.
Eze 26:15-18 gives a
more detailed description of the woes of Tyre.
What is relevant here is that
Tyre was subjected to 70 years of rule by Nebuchadnezzar, after which it was
liberated and restored under Cyrus the Great.
It was an early
convert to Christianity and Paul found many believers there in Acts 21:4.
A general judgment of God’s people (Isaiah 24)
This chapter is not
specific. It describes the judgments reserved for God’s people and the reasons.
It lists their iniquities and links that to the curses of Deuteronomy 28.
Verses 4 and 5
pronounced the curse for breaking the law and the covenant. The greatest
consequence was expressed in verse 3, which says that "the land will be cleared and
spoiled".
Instead of the joy
that was the heritage of the righteous, not even their wine or strong drink would help to revive them or assuage the coming grief.
The remnant left behind would lift their voices in other places and sing the majesty of God from the
sea, because they all fled and were scattered into surrounding cities (named
islands here, as in refuges in the valleys). There they built synagogues and
wept for Jerusalem.
Yet, struggles would continue and those that survived the coming troubles would escape one crisis
only to face more. The people of God faced a time of great struggle.
Does it reflect the
struggles yet to come, where believers will join long, desperate lines of
refugees only to face more trouble and crisis in their places of refuge?
Yet, Isaiah does sign
off with hope: that those left will find the Lord and renew their faith. The
nation
as such will fall, but those of faith will endure forever.
Yet will we praise the Lord (Isaiah 25)
There is no direct
link here, to foregoing chapters, which all prophesy judgment on Israel, Judah
and the nations about them.
Instead, in this
chapter, Isaiah looked up and praised God for his counsels of old: his enduring
wisdom.
He also celebrated the
fall of those cities that opposed Judah, notable the demise of the old enemy, Moab.
Their fall into ruinous heaps, stirred fear in the nations for the God of
Israel.
I sense it is still
so. The Jews, so long scattered and persecuted, have risen to a place of global
respectability that glorifies God and silences their detractors.
Isaiah witnessed God’s
vindication of the righteous and the wretched souls who stood for righteousness: the poor that Jesus said would ultimately inherit the earth.
Then he turned to
messianic thoughts again, declaring a great feast and the rending of a veil.
The new feast of Passover, which celebrates the death of messiah, recalls that “feasts”
as used in the law, were not eating feasts, but festivals for honoring the highest
traditions of God.
In the great feast (vs
6-8) he proclaims, “death is swallowed up in victory”. Paul used that in 1 Corinthians 15:54 in reference to the resurrection. He added in Romans, “Oh
death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory”.
Isaiah looked up and saw the
ancient mount of Zion and sang in his heart like a psalmist singing “the holy
city”.
His declaration was
clear, “In this mount” (Zion or Moriah) God would renew the vine and destroy the veil on the eyes
of nations: a veil which according to 2 Corinthians 13 is taken away in Christ.
Then (vs 9) he foresaw a
great turning back to God through the spirit of grace that flowed from that
holy hill, to reach every tongue and tribe and nation. Glory to God.
That would usher in the rest once promised to Israel as described in
Hebrews 4: for Jesus, is the Sabbath of God who bring rest from our toils.
He will keep in peace every mind that is stayed
on him (Isaiah 26)
What a powerful
refrain. Isaiah exults in the Lord and sees the coming in of a righteous
nation, a holy priesthood: the church of the firstborn of God.
As an echo of Psalm
24, he sees the return of the king, not to die but as a triumphant conquering warrior king, just as Psalm 24 celebrated the return of David after his flight from
Absalom.
It anchors our faith
in a strong city with sure battlements, but Isaiah looked through metaphorical
eyes to a city not made with hands: the church standing strong in a dark world
on the rock of salvation. There God will give us everlasting strength.
From that will come a
perfect peace: for every soul that stands on the rock will never be moved again. What a hope for us in a world that
is in more upheaval than the
turbulence of that age.
The cry of the righteous may rise like the torment of a woman denied birth, whose pangs are in vain and
who brings forth the vapor of a phantom pregnancy (vs 19).
It is a tragic image
of the prevailing state of the church.
Yet God will hear her and usher her into the place prepared for her: the chambers of his house.
He will also shut the doors to terminate the age of grace and then begin to judge the nations. It is a picture of the triumphant
exultation of his church.
Draw hope from all of
this. Nations will surely fall and totter like
drunken men. Times will be tough and we will seek refuge and shelter far from
home, yet, what is physically scattered is spiritually united into one holy
people, who will triumph in Christ.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
