81. Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Hymns: RHC 539 Beyond the Sunset 538 In the New Jerusalem 540 We’re Marching to Zion

Isaiah 29

¹ Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. ² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. ³ And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. ⁴ And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. ⁵ Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. ⁶ Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. ⁷ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. ⁸ It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. ⁹ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. ¹⁰ For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. ¹¹ And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: ¹² And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ¹³ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: ¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. ¹⁵ Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? ¹⁶ Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? ¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. ¹⁹ The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: ²¹ That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. ²² Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. ²³ But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. ²⁴ They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

OUTLINE

• A Besieged City (v1-8)
• A Backslided and Blind City (v9-16)
• A Blessed City (v17-24)

INTRODUCTION

This prophecy is concerning Jerusalem, spoken to by the prophet Isaiah 4 times as Ariel (v1-2) – ¹ Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. ² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

Ariel refers to Jerusalem, the city where David set up his headquarters (cf. 2 Sam. 5:9), and Mount Zion (v. 8), the site of Judah’s worship. Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City. It is called the City of David – 2 Samuel 5:7 (KJV) Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. It was used for the Temple Mount.

The city where David dwelt (v1) – David took the hill of Zion from the Jebusites, and made it the capital of his kingdom.

This is the historical background – 2 Samuel 5:6-9 (KJV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

This word “Ariel” means “lion of God” alluding to the city’s strength. Its strength and fortifications, natural and artificial, and from its being the chief city of Judah, called a lion. This can be deduced in verse 1 referred to “the city where David dwelt” and verse 8 of Mount Zion which is Jerusalem “… so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.”

This chapter is thus a prophecy concerning Jerusalem.

• A Besieged City (v1-8)

² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

The prophet spoke of the distress of Ariel (Jerusalem), there shall be heaviness and sorrow (v2).

It will be a city besieged by the LORD – ³ And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

The Assyrians will lay siege but will not succeed during the reign of king Hezekiel who called on the LORD for mercy and the city was delivered.

⁵ Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. ⁶ Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

These verses (v5, 7-8) contain a beautiful description of the destruction of the army of Sennacherib from Assyria. Though they had laid the plan of a regular siege; though the city, would not be able to hold out against them, yet in an instant the siege would be raised, and the advancing hosts of the Assyrians would all be gone.

The multitude of thy strangers – The multitude of the strangers that shall besiege thee; called “thy strangers,” because they besieged, or oppressed thee. The word “strangers” here, as elsewhere, means “foreigners”.

God encamped against Jerusalem through His instruments, first the Assyrians 701 BC, then it was besieged by the Babylonians in which the first temple built by Solomon was destroyed in 586 B.C. It was besieged by the Roman army in AD 70 in which the second temple was destroyed and the Jews scattered for nearly 2000 years till 14 May 1948 when Israel was resurrected again as a nation.

⁷ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

The final application is to His defeat of the armies that will surround Jerusalem in the last days.

Zechariah 14:1-3 (KJV) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

In Zechariah 12 and 13, there was the future deliverance and conversion of Israel. Zechariah 14 continues and concludes it with the Messiah coming to establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem. It is climactic. The earth is God’s focus in His creative work of the universe. Israel is God’s focus among the nations of the earth. Israel is a great nation because she is God’s chosen vessel to receive His Special Revelation. Israel sits at the centre of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The Lord Himself says so in Eze 5:5, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.”

The Bible-Presbyterian Church at her inception in 1937 imbibed from the dispensationalist the doctrine of the pre-millennium. Christ will return to rule physically on earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1- 6).

This even before the establishment of the nation of Israel on 14th May 1948. We praise God for this spiritual heritage that gives to us the proper biblical perspective to view this decaying world. The belief in Israel’s Restoration in Christ’s Second Coming and her preeminent role during His Millennial Reign is a most blessed one.

This doctrine is called Covenant Pre-millennialism. God has not forsaken Israel, although Israel has rejected her Christ. All references to Israel being restored to head the nations of the world in Christ’s millennial reign mean exactly and literally. The nations of the world gather themselves together against Israel (v1-2), our Lord Jesus returns to save Israel from certain destruction (v 3). This is vividly revealed to us in Revelation 19. Our Lord Jesus Christ, He that is Faithful and True, will ride on a white horse with the heavenly army to judge and make war against the nations, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev 19:15a).

⁶ Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

This speaks of the image of the storm that marks the seals, trumpets and bowls judgment in Revelation 8:5; 11:19; 16:18.

Revelation 8:5 (KJV) And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Revelation 11:19 (KJV) And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 16:18 (KJV) And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Revelation 19:11-21 (KJV) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

• A Backslided and Blind City (v9-16)

⁹ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. ¹⁰ For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. ¹¹ And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: ¹² And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

God’s people were described as drunken and blind men trying to read a sealed book.  

They had no understanding of spiritual things nor did they worship God in the Spirit. Just like Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a chief Pharisee who came to Jesus by night to seek the way to God! Backslided and blinded, they could not understand the Word of God and thus ignorant of His will.

¹³ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

There was an external form of devotion but no true devotion toward God. It was a form of godliness, not real. Very sad.

Their rituals could be done very well yet there is only an external facet with no true worship.

Job 28:28 (KJV) And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Psalm 19:9 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Psalm 34:11 (KJV) Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Our Lord referred to this passage and applied to the hypocrites of His own time – Matthew 15:8-9 (KJV) This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The religious worship which God desires is the worship of the heart. What is the first thing we need in order to be Christians? A new heart. What is the sacrifice God asks us to bring to him? A broken and contrite heart. What is the true circumcision? The circumcision of the heart. What is genuine obedience? To obey from the heart. What is saving faith? To believe with the heart. Where ought Christ to dwell? To dwell in our hearts by faith.What is the chief request that Wisdom makes to everyone? “My son, give me thine heart.” [JC Ryle]

Let us leave the passage with honest self-inquiry as to the state of our own hearts. Let us settle it in our minds that all formal worship of God, whether in public or private, is utterly in vain so long as our “hearts are far from” Him.

The bended knee, the bowed head, the loud Amen, the daily chapter, the regular attendance at the Lord’s table, are all useless and unprofitable so long as our affections are nailed to sin, or pleasure, or money, or the world. The question of our Lord must yet be answered satisfactorily, before we can be saved. He says to everyone, “Lovest thou me?” (John 22:17). [JC Ryle]

¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Empty rituals do not bring closeness to God. Resorting to human wisdom rather than divine wisdom was the spiritual plague of Jerusalem.

The same principle was the downfall of the Greek world in Paul’s day (1 Cor. 1:19).

1 Corinthians 1:19 (KJV) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

The city also boasted of its heritage in David, but the present residents did not share David’s heart for God (cf. v. 13). The prophet directed the city to continue to observe its annual religious feasts regularly. This seems to be a sarcastic call to continue offering the sacrifices, which the people thought assured their blessing by God, even though they were doing so as an empty ritual (cf. v. 13). These meaningless acts of worship would not avert judgment to come (v. 2; cf. Hos. 8:11-14; Amos 4:4-5). [Constable]

Hosea 8:11-14 (KJV) Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin. I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing. They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

Amos 4:4-5 (KJV) Come to Beth-el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

¹⁵ Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? ¹⁶ Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

The prophet speaks of a secret plan of the leaders to join with Egypt to fight the Assyrians. The Lord had counselled otherwise, so they hid their strategy from Him.

Man making plans on his own without God is a rejection of God as their Creator and Sustainer. How can the clay speak against the potter?

Romans 9:19-21 (KJV) Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

• A Blessed City (v17-24)

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. ¹⁹ The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: ²¹ That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. ²² Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. ²³ But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. ²⁴ They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

When the Lord returns and establishes His kingdom, things will change! God’s people will hear and see the truth, rejoice in it, and honour the Holy One of Israel.

“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” (Zech 14:20-21)

The mark of true consecration will be seen everywhere and practised in the millennium. It is “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.” All are cleansed and holy in Jerusalem and among God’s people. There will be holiness in public life “bells of the horses,” in religious life “pots in the Lord’s house,” and all private life “every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah.” Truly, “blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt 5:8). God dwells physically in the midst of His saints who will be appointed to rule with Him. Sin will no more have dominion. What glorious freedom! These last two verses of prophesy may well close not only this book but the whole history of Israel, for it shows God’s original purpose fulfiled in Exodus 19:6, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

All who enter the house of the Lord are recognized as regenerated born[1]again believers. There shall be no Canaanites (heathen, unbelievers) in the house of the Lord of hosts. Our Lord rules in our hearts today but the corrupt nature wars daily against the spirit of holiness. May God’s people wage a good warfare against the corruptness in us, daily practising holy habits, watching and working for the night comes when no man can work. God does not forget His own children. The Lord truly remembers!

Amen.