Isaiah 32:13

Isaiah 32:13 says, Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:  Isaiah said that God was about to allow the land of Judah, the part of His chosen people that remained free, to filled with thorns and briers.  God had brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey, but they forgot their relationship with Him, and now He was going to remove His protection and blessing from them.  They had become corrupted by having plenty, so God was going to remove that plenty from them.  If we are truly to be a Christian nation, we cannot begin to live simply for our own pleasure when God blesses us materially.  If we do, He may remove His protective had from us.  Of course, this applies to individual Christians as well. 

Verse fourteen adds, Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;  Isaiah said that their cities, instead of being places of safety where they lived for pleasure and at ease, would become places where the wild animals lived.  The people would never return to these places.  If we are looking to things of this world to bring us peace and safety instead of looking to God, they will fail us, and when God’s judgment comes, we will never return to them.  Nothing that we look to for pleasure and peace in life that is not in accordance with God’s word is going to last. 

Verse fifteen continues, Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.  This sad state of Judah would continue until God poured out His Spirit on them.  I believe this occurred when God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins and then sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Once this happened, Judah would be a fruitful field once again.  Once we accept God’s gift of salvation, we should become spiritually productive people by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse sixteen states, Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.  Isaiah said that once God poured out His Spirit on the people, which could only happen if they were obedient to Him, that fair judgment and righteous would return along with the fruitful fields.  If we are followers of Christ, we need to judge the actions of others fairly and righteously.  Matthew Henry says that the wilderness refers to the Gentiles, who had been a wilderness to the will of God but would become a fruitful field once Jesus Christ died for all mankind.  We are part of that fruitful field if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and until we do, we are lost in the wilderness of sin. 

Verse seventeen adds, And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.  Just as Isaiah told the people then, the work of righteousness brings quietness and assurance in life.  Even if the world is a terrible mess, we as Christians should live our lives in quietness and assurance. Matthew Henry says this refers to an inward peace in life and an outward peace where we live, but I still believe that it refers to the inward peace with God even though the outward peace in the world may be missing. 

Verse eighteen continues, And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;  Once more, I believe this refers to our home in heaven more than to our time here on earth.  We may live in a place where we don’t have to fear for our lives and safety, but there will always be some degree of threat in this lifetime, but once we go to our heavenly home, there will no longer be any threat to our peace and security.

Verse nineteen says, When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.  Isaiah said that if the storms came with hail raining down on the forests that Jerusalem would be in a low place, or protected from the destruction.  We as followers of Christ are spiritually protected from the storms of life, even if the storms rage around us physically. 

Verse twenty adds, Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.  Isaiah said that those who sowed beside the waters would be blessed with good crops.  We, as followers of Christ, need to sow beside the Living Water to have productive lives spiritually.