Day 206. Isaiah 32-34

Now again the theme of the prophet changes from judgment to triumphant hope, and Isaiah looks forward to the dominion of the Messiah, the coming king from the house of David who "will reign in righteousness," and [the princes of his house] will rule with justice" (32:1). Justice under law is something that you and I expect and take for granted; the Pledge of Allegiance we recited as children at the beginning of every school day ended with those noble words—"one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." How far that noble sentiment has progressed toward reality is a matter of opinion.
But in the Old Testament world justice is not regarded as a human right, but as a gift of God bestowed on rulers for the benefit of those they rule over. It is the active form of wisdom which sees without bias and makes fair and equitable decisions. So in the Messianic Age toward which the prophet looks with hope, those who have sight will open their eyes and those who have hearing will actually open their ears and listen (32:3). (It is something we might wish that our politicians would do occasionally.) Power and righteousness will be inseparably united. In that future time, the complacency of the rich and indolent will be replaced by "a spirit from on high" (32:15). Fools will not be considered noble nor will villains be seen as honorable—everyone will be esteemed at his or her true value. And people will treat each other decently and practice the noble sentiments they espouse (32:8). Righteousness will be the rule and not the exception.
And "the effect of righteousness will be peace," "quietness, and trust forever" (32:17), the prophet says. In this new world that God will establish on that day, both "the forest"—the uninhabited, wild and dangerous world of nature—and "the city"—the over-civilized and corrupted urban world--will "disappear" and be "laid low" (32:19). People will dwell in a cultivated garden, in "secure dwellings" and "quiet resting places." Personal property will vanish, people will "sow beside every stream," and even domestic animals will "range freely" (32:20).
Chapter 33 is the conclusion of the writings of First Isaiah or Isaiah of Jerusalem and provides a summation of his prophecy. The "destroyer" he speaks of is Assyria—and he assures his hearers that when it has "ceased to destroy" it "will be destroyed" (33:1). But in the midst of chaos and confusion, for those who fear him, the LORD "will be the stability of [their] times" (33:6). They should not be afraid. Even though the sinners tremble, "those who walk righteously and speak uprightly, who despise the gain of oppression . . . will live on the heights; their refuge will be the fortresses of rocks; their food will be supplied, their water assured" (33:16). The LORD will care for the righteous remnant of his people. And these survivors will live to "see the [Messianic] king in his beauty" (33:17), and all the tribulation through which they have passed will seem only a bad dream when it is over. They "will behold a land that
stretches far away" and see no enemy. They will listen and see no jabber of foreign speech. Jerusalem will be safe, and "there the LORD in majesty will be for [them] a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor stately ship can pass" (33:21). He will be their safety, and secure from the danger of invasion his people will live in peace with the LORD as their ruler (33:22).
Now the scene changes; chapter 34 speaks to a different situation and is the work of a later prophet, whose images are more fierce and less elegant than Isaiah of Jerusalem. The threat of Assyria has disappeared as Isaiah said it would. But there are other enemies to contend with now—namely the rising power of Babylon. To the little kingdom of Judah it seems that all the nations of the world have become its enemies. But God is still the only power to be reckoned with. He will deal with the enemies of his people. The fate of Edom, Israel's neighbor to the south and east, prefigures their end. A day of vengeance is coming. The destruction of Edom is represented by the prophet as a ritual sacrifice; it is disemboweled like a sacrificial animal. Its fat and blood are offered up to the LORD, who himself wields the knife. Edom shall be depopulated and turned into a wasteland, where goat-demons will call to each other and Lilith, the night hag will rest.
The LORD will give the land to the buzzards, and "they shall possess it forever, from generation to generation they shall live in it" (34:17). Such will be the fate of all Judah's enemies, even mighty Babylon.