Isaiah 29:1 says, Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Ariel here refers to Jerusalem, the city of David. Matthew Henry says that the part of it called Zion was particularly the city of David. He also says we don’t know why it was referred to Ariel here, but that Ariel means the lion of God or the strong lion, and the lion is the king of the beasts, just as God is the King of the universe. To me, Zion, like Ariel here, is just another way to refer to Jerusalem. Either way, Isaiah was pronouncing woe on the city because they had turned away from God. Spiritually, they were no longer the city of David. We may pronounce ourselves to be a Christian nation, but if our actions are just like the rest of the world and not in obedience to God’s word, then woe to us.
Verse two adds, Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. Isaiah said God was going to bring a heaviness to Ariel. They thought that since they professed to be God’s people that nothing bad could happen to them, but since they were His people in name only, they were about to find out differently. They were observing feasts and offering sacrifices to God, but they were only doing so physically, without there being any spiritual significance to the feasts and sacrifices. Going through the motions of worshipping God without any spiritual dedication to Him is worth nothing to us spiritually.
Verse three continues, And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. Isaiah said God sent them the warning that since they refused to obey Him that instead of protecting them, He would allow them to be surrounded by their enemies. God was not going to destroy Jerusalem or even let it be destroyed, but He was going to allow it to be besieged and in distress. As followers of Christ, if we get outside of the will of God, He is not going to allow us to be destroyed spiritually, since we are saved forever when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but He may allow distress in life to come on us.
Verse four concludes, 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. The people of Jerusalem had been haughty in their attitude, believing that God was always going to protect them no matter what, but now they would be brought down so very low. They would speak in whispers for fear that their enemies would overhear them. Those who have believed themselves to be superior to other people because they called themselves God’s people without really putting their faith in Him will one day be brought down to the reality that they are powerless.
Verse five states, 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. Isaiah said that God had declared that the enemies of Judah would become as no more than dust, unable to be any threat to them anymore. This would happen suddenly, which it did when the angel of the Lord destroyed the Assyrian army. No matter how powerful our enemies may be, they have already been defeated by the power of God, which was displayed once and for all time by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like the deliverance of Judah then, it is based on the power of God and not our own power. They had been abused by the world, but God was going to restore them if they put their faith in Him.
Verse six adds, 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. Isaiah said that God was going to visit them with thunder, earthquakes, and great noise, with storms and tempests. In other words, the God of the universe can use anything in His universe to bring about His punishment of sin. Of course, this doesn’t mean that any time any of these things happen that God is punishing those who it happens to. We know that before Jesus Christ returns that these things will be signs that the end is near, though near may be a long time in the eyes of the world.
Verse seven continues, 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. God said that those who fought against Ariel, or Jerusalem, would soon be no more than a night vision. In other words, the dreams the enemies of Jerusalem of claiming her wealth would soon vanish like a dream. If people have dreams of prospering by mistreating God’s people, though they might be successful for a period of time, ultimately their success will disappear like a dream often does when we wake up. Even if we can recall the details of a dream, that doesn’t make it real.
Verse eight concludes, 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. Isaiah said that those who opposed Jerusalem would be as fulfilled as a hungry or thirsty man who dreamed of eating or drinking. Those who had such dreams would still wake up hungry and thirsty, and those who dreamed of defeating Jerusalem would soon be faced with the fact that it was only a dream that would never happen as long as God was still protecting His people. There are still people today who would destroy Christians and who would even eliminate the mention of God from people’s lives, but it is only an empty dream that they will ever succeed forever.
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