Isaiah 24:1-12

Passage:

Isaiah 24
Impending Judgment on the Earth

1 Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste,

Distorts its surface

And scatters abroad its inhabitants.

2 And it shall be:

As with the people, so with the priest;

As with the servant, so with his master;

As with the maid, so with her mistress;

As with the buyer, so with the seller;

As with the lender, so with the borrower;

As with the creditor, so with the debtor.

3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,

For the LORD has spoken this word.

4 The earth mourns and fades away,

The world languishes and fades away;

The haughty people of the earth languish.

5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,

Because they have transgressed the laws,

Changed the ordinance,

Broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,

And those who dwell in it are desolate.

Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,

And few men are left.

7 The new wine fails, the vine languishes,

All the merry-hearted sigh.

8 The mirth of the tambourine ceases,

The noise of the jubilant ends,

The joy of the harp ceases.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song;

Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

10 The city of confusion is broken down;

Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.

11 There is a cry for wine in the streets,

All joy is darkened,

The mirth of the land is gone.

12 In the city desolation is left,

And the gate is stricken with destruction.

Journal:

We now move from a judgment against various and specific nations to a wider world view. The next four chapters are sometimes referred to as the "Isaiah Apocalypse" since these chapters reflect, in part, what John wrote in the Book of Revelation. The words and phrases in Isaiah 24:1-12 are haunting, and remind of Hebrews 10:31 [". . . The Lord will judge His people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."] God is indeed love; yet, God is indeed judgment as well.

It is a universal judgment. ["Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants."] This is the coming of judgment for Judah. This is also the coming judgment tied to the impending return of Christ.

It is a devastating judgment. ["The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
For the LORD has spoken this word."]

It is an encompassing judgment. ["And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor."] God is no respecter of persons. Social distinctions will not be distinguished.

It is a joyless judgment. ["The new wine fails, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, the noise of the jubilant ends, the joy of the harp ceases" . . . "There is a cry for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. "] The isolation of judgment, an eternal separation from God, is a joyless state.

It is a righteous judgment. The judgment is brought on by sin, and sin is brought on by the violation of God's law. ["The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."] The covenant was given to Moses for the Jews, and yet has been written on the hearts of all men of every generation. It is this state of rebellion that the judgment must address.

It is an atoning judgment. God is faithful, and there is a restoration of the remnant. ["Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left."] In the short term, a remnant of Judah will return someday from the conquest of Babylon. In the broader perspective, God has saved His remnant, and the "new heaven" and the "new earth" will be reserved for those that are returning from the conquest of sin.

Heard 'Round the House:

There are times when something really simple makes you stop and realize that our time here on earth is short, and to enjoy every minute. One of those simple times came last night when Song said "Dad, can I have some more . . ." Song had never called me Dad before [it has always been "Daddy" or, lately, her pet name for me - "Papa Johns."] We adopted Song from Shanghai, China when she was 15 months old. She is now nine. I'm not sure that I'm ready to be called "Dad" by my Song Bird, but I am quite sure that the little bird is starting to get some feathers on her wings . . .