Isaiah 29:17

 Isaiah 29:17 states, 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? God said that those who thought they had defeated Him needed to only wait a while to see that this wasn’t true.  He said that He would turn some things upside down, with Lebanon which had been a forest becoming a fertile field instead and that Carmel, according to Matthew Henry, which had been a fertile field would become a forest.  God can change things in a very short time, and if we who call ourselves a Christian nation continue to rebel against God and His commandments, we may find the nation turned upside down. 

Verse eighteen adds, 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.  Isaiah said that God was going to allow the deaf to hear and the blind to see in that day.  This refers to spiritual deafness and blindness.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be spiritually deaf and blind.  The day we accept Him, we will then be able to hear the truth of His words and see the evidence of His power and glory.  When God’s judgment day comes, everyone will hear and see the truth of God, but for too many it will be too late.

Verse nineteen continues, The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.  The meek and the poor will rejoice in that day, I believe if they have been faithful to God.  Just being meek and poor does not mean a person is a follower of Jesus Christ.  They may still be meek and poor, but they will have joy in the Lord.  As Christians, no matter what is going on in our lives, even if we are suffering persecution because of our faith, we should have joy in our heart.  Our joy in the Lord should never be dependent on material things.

Verse twenty states, For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:  Matthew Henry says this refers to Sennacherib at that time, but that overall it refers to the coming of Jesus Christ in the broader context.  Some of our powerful enemies may be destroyed today, but at the second coming of Jesus Christ, Satan and all those who follow him will be defeated forever.  

Verse twenty-one adds, 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.  Isaiah said those that had gone against God, even if they had been powerful people, were going to be dealt with.  We may be persecuted because of our faith in Jesus Christ, but there is coming a day when those that persecute us are going to be brought down by God. 

Verse twenty-two continues, 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.  Just as God had redeemed Abraham when he put his faith in Him, God redeems everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.  Jacob who had once blushed at the reproaches of men and trembled when facing their power was not going to be ashamed.  This is true because God’s word is true, and God had entered into a covenant relationship with them.  

Verse twenty-three says, 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.  Isaiah said that when people saw God’s children, the descendants of Abraham in that day, who were the work of His hands, that they would sanctify the name of God and would fear the God of Israel.  Those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will one day have a reason to fear His judgment, but we as followers of Christ should never live in fear of God.  We should serve Him out of gratitude for our redemption and not out of fear of His judgment. 

Verse twenty-two adds, They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.  Isaiah said that those who erred in spirit would come to an understanding of Who God is and that the ones who had murmured would learn His doctrine.  We should never murmur against God’s word but should continue to read and come to a better understanding of it so we can be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.