Wednesday, December 18 – Isaiah 34, 35

Study Questions:

1. What will happen to the heavens on the day of the Lord? (Isaiah 34:4)
2. What will happen to these children of God when He saves us? (Isaiah 35:5-6)
     The blind
     The lame
     The deaf
     The mute

Commentary and Reflection:

The writings of the prophets enrich the narratives of the Kings and Chronicles. This is one of the significant benefits of reading the Bible chronologically. In these chapters, we see how God seeks to guide, admonish, and encourage Judah and King Hezekiah during the peril of an Assyrian invasion. Simultaneously, He speaks to us today, addressing both our current circumstances and prophetically revealing truths about the day of the Lord’s judgment and the ultimate deliverance of His people at the end of time.

In Isaiah 34, the Lord assures His people that He is active in the world, sovereign over the nations, and that His judgments will inevitably come upon them. 

The scene of slaughter and judgment described in verse 3 was fulfilled when the Lord delivered Judah from Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This event is vividly recounted in 2 Kings: “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead” (2 Kings 19:35, NKJV). 

The poetic language Isaiah uses to describe this deliverance is strikingly like John’s description in Revelation of God’s final judgment on the nations: “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great’” (Revelation 19:17-18, NKJV). 

The nations often wield power to intimidate and oppress others, but the Lord’s authority extends beyond the earth to the heavens: “All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll” (Isaiah 34:4, NKJV). 

This poetic and prophetic imagery echoes John’s words in Revelation: “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Revelation 6:12-14, NKJV). 

In Matthew 24:29, in his prophetic sermon, Jesus affirms that “the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” 

From verse 9 onward in Isaiah 34, the focus shifts to the land of the judged nations. These lands will become places of torment, fear, and desolation, uninhabitable for humans. The glory of their kingdoms will vanish, and their ruins will become the dwelling place of wild animals and demons. This judgment is decreed by God, who has recorded every detail in His book so that all may know it is His work. “Nowhere but in the Inspired Record is there reliable information about the conditions that prevail when ‘the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations” (see on v. 2).’” (SDABC, Isaiah 34:16). 

Isaiah 35 is a beautiful psalm that looks beyond God’s judgment on Assyria and the world to the land of the redeemed. 

“Had the people of Israel been faithful to God, the Land of Promise would have been restored to its Edenic fertility and beauty, as here pictured in vs. 1–4, 7, and sickness and disease would have disappeared from among them, as portrayed in vs. 5, 6 (see pp. 27, 28). From all nations, sincere seekers for truth would travel “The way of holiness” up to Jerusalem to learn of the true God (see pp. 28–30).” (SDABC, Isaiah 35:8). 

“The journey to Zion is a happy one. Pilgrims on their way to attend the feasts at Jerusalem went with hearts full of joy and thanksgiving to God. They sang psalms of praise (see Ps. 121; Ps. 122) as they looked forward to the happy hours they would spend in the sacred city, in fellowship with one another and in communion with God. This was to be the experience of “the ransomed” of all nations.” (SDABC, Isaiah 35:10). 

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10, NKJV). 

This will be the experience of the redeemed. It will be our experience when Jesus comes to take us to Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city God has prepared for His children. 

May this beautiful and faithful promise inspire and strengthen you as you begin your day. 

Would you like to express praise and gratitude to the Lord right now? Hallelujah!