Isaiah 34:1

Isaiah 34:1 says, Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.  Isaiah extends God’s call for all nations to come and hear what He has to say.  This was going to affect them, and whatever God was going to do would be just.  We are to carry the gospel to all nations, and they need to hear it because it affects their everlasting status with God.  If people refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord once they hear the gospel, then their everlasting punishment will be just.  God has provided a way for every person to escape the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death, so if they do not accept this gift of salvation, they are the ones responsible if they are sent away to everlasting punishment. 

Verse two adds, For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.  Isaiah said that God’s fury was on all nations and that He would destroy all their armies.  Israel, and later Judah after the kingdom split, was the nation that God chose to work through to call all people to Him, but He was not limiting His call to them.  God’s plan has always been to redeem the people of the whole world, and He will always have indignation at those who chose to continue to reject and His gift of salvation.  

Verse three continues, Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.  This destruction from God was going to be devastating.  Those who stood against Him would be killed and their bodies left unburied.  Some nations today take pride in their strength even as they deny God, but one day, these nations will be left in devastation, because Jesus Christ is going to return one day to claim His church, and everyone who has not accepted Him will be sent away to everlasting punishment.  

Verse four states, And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.  Isaiah said when this day of judgement from God came, even the heavens would be affected.  This will happen when Jesus Christ returns in victory.  God is the Creator and Sustainer not just of the earth but of the universe, and He will always have control of it. 

Verse five adds, For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.  Isaiah said that God’s sword was going to come down on those who refused to acknowledge Him.  I don’t believe that God needs a literal sword to bring about His judgment, but this is just a figurative term to help the people understand that God was going to destroy everyone who didn’t put their faith in Him.  I believe that just as God spoke the world into existence, He can speak it out of existence. 

Verse six continues, The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.  Isaiah said God’s sword was going to be full of the blood of sacrifice.  Matthew Henry says that Bozrah was the place where the great Redeemer had His garments dyed in blood.  I do know that there is only one sacrifice that can bring redemption from sin, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  It is by His blood alone that we can be saved. 

Verse seven says, And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.  Not only people, but animals as well, will be affected when God’s judgment comes.  People were supposed to have dominion over the things of the earth under the leadership of God, but we have often failed to live up to our responsibility, but everything is still under God’s control.  We need to do our best to care for His creation under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse eight adds, For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.  Isaiah said that there was a coming day when all those who have defied God will encounter His vengeance against them for their unwillingness to accept His forgiveness.  Since He is a just God, unrepentant sin cannot be ignored but must be judged.  If we one day find ourselves under the judgment of God, it will because we have chosen to reject His gift of salvation.  Isaiah also said that those who had tried to destroy Zion, God’s holy city, would feel His vengeance.  I believe this would also apply to those who mistreat Christians.