Tyndale Open Study NotesIsaiah 29

This is the second of the six woes (Woe …).

Ariel was another name for Mount Zion (Isaiah 29:8). It likely means "altar of God."

During the Assyrian siege, the Lord would fight for Jerusalem. He would eventually make the Assyrians leave the city.

The Lord himself would come against Jerusalem, surrounding and attacking it.

God aimed to destroy the sinful pride of Jerusalem's people. Their voices would rise as if from the grave. Through the Assyrians, God would humble his people, but he would not abandon them.

• you will be visited: God will rescue his people.

• thunder and earthquake … tempest and consuming flame of fire: These events describe a theophany (a visible appearance of God; see study note on Isaiah 5:25).

The Assyrians suddenly ended the siege, as if in a dream or a vision in the night. God would save Judah and judge Assyria.

Jerusalem’s blindness kept its people from understanding God’s plan.

Here, blindness does not mean physical blindness. It means spiritual blindness. The people could see with their eyes, but they did not understand what God was doing.

Like a hungry or thirsty person, the Assyrians could taste the victory over Jerusalem. Yet they never became victorious.

• a spirit of deep sleep: God reinforced the people's foolishness as a judgment on them (compare Romans 1:24–32; 11:8). They could not see reality.

• People sometimes called prophets visionaries. Neither the people nor their prophets understood what God was doing (Isaiah 6:9–10).

• These people used religious language in their prayers and conversations (see Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6–7), but they did not truly honor God.

• In their hearts, they were not committed to the Lord.

• In their worship, they followed human rules and regulations instead of God's word.

Human wisdom and intelligence will disappear (see 1 Corinthians 1:19). The prophet had already spoken about the failure of Egypt’s wise men (Isaiah 19:11–12). Even Judah’s wise men would make mistakes.

This threat of coming judgment is the third of the six woes (see study note on Isaiah 28:1–33:24). It begins with judgment but moves to a vision of creation being renewed and of the wicked coming to an end.

• Their plans might refer to the advice that royal counselors were giving Hezekiah, who at first attempted to free himself from Assyria by making alliances with Egypt (in 715 or 701 BC).

• The people secretly planned evil deeds, but God saw everything.

• potter … clay: This picture shows that the Lord has full authority over his creation. A potter has the right to shape clay as he chooses. In the same way, God has the right to guide and rule his people.

  Scripture does not forbid people from asking God honest and difficult questions. However, it does not allow people to resist or reject God’s will (see Isaiah 10:15; 45:9; 64:8; Romans 9:20).

• He did not make me?: When people speak this way about God, they refuse to admit that God created them. They deny that God is closely involved in every part of their lives.

The forests of Lebanon usually picture rich and healthy growth (see Isaiah 2:13; 14:8). They are often a symbol of strength and beauty.

But here, the forests represent destruction and emptiness. Instead of life and growth, they show ruin and loss.

The people were deaf and blind in their hearts and spirits. This means they would not listen to God or understand his truth (see Isaiah 6:10; 42:18; 43:8).

Yet God promised that he would renew humanity and all creation. He would bring healing and new life (see Isaiah 35:1–5).

The false testimony that led to the oppression of the poor through trickery in the courts of Isaiah’s era would end. Because of God’s work in their hearts, the people would turn from their sinful behavior of the past.

The prophecy of woe, which began at 29:15, now ends with a prophecy of salvation.

• Abraham was the father of all Israel (see Genesis 12:1–3; see also Galatians 3:29).

• Saved from human mistreatment and God's judgment, the people would no longer feel ashamed. Their disgrace came from the failure of what they had trusted (see Psalm 71:1; 1 Peter 2:6).