Judgment of Damascus
November 3, 2019
Commentary
The fall of Damascus was a warning to Ephraim in the Northern kingdom of Israel. Both Ephraim, representing Israel, and Damascus, representing Syria, would be defeated (vv. 1-2). The emphasis in this chapter is on the God who controls the armies of heaven and earth (v. 3). Isaiah used several images to describe Ephraim’s downfall. He referred to the destruction of the fortified cities (v. 3), the wasting away of a sick person (v. 4), the gleaning of a small harvest (vv 5-6), the decaying of a garden into a wasteland (vv. 9-11), the over-flowing of a flood (vv. 12-13), and the blowing away of chaff and tumbleweeds into a storm (v. 13). In the evening they will be frightened and by morning no one will be left (v. 14). When judgment came, the people of Israel realized that their idols could not save them; so they turned to the Lord for help, but it was too late.
This is the first of three sections beginning with the phrase “in that day” (vv. 4-6). Next refers to the time of God’s wrath on His enemies (vv. 7-8) followed by His blessing showered on his people (vv. 9-11). This no doubt refers to the situation that takes place throughout the previous chapters. He is the Lord God of Israel (v. 6), the Holy one (v. 7), the God of our salvation, and the Rock of our strength (v. 10). How foolish it was for the Israelites to trust in their man-made idols (v. 8).
Application
Like Israel of old, we tend to trust in the things we have made (our gods) instead of the God who made everything. These include the false gods of pleasure, money, sports, education, cell phones and even “religious experience.” If I don’t want the same treatment Damascus and Ephraim received, I must turn from these things and trust in God now.
Isaiah 17:1– 14 (NET)
1 This is an oracle about Damascus: “Look, Damascus is no longer a city, it is a heap of ruins!
2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. They will be used for herds, which will lie down there in peace.
3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, and Damascus will lose its kingdom. The survivors in Syria will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
4 “At that time Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, and he will become skin and bones.
5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest, and his hand gleans the ear of grain. It will be like one gathering the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
6 There will be some left behind, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches,” says the Lord God of Israel.
7 At that time men will trust in their Creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made.
9 At that time their fortified cities will be like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, which they abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be desolation.
10 For you ignore the God who rescues you; you pay no attention to your strong protector. So this is what happens: You cultivate beautiful plants and plant exotic vines.
11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout. Yet the harvest will disappear in the day of disease and incurable pain.
12 Beware, you many nations massing together, those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. Beware, you people making such an uproar, those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves.
13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, when he shouts at them, they will flee to a distant land, driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills, or like dead thistles before a strong gale.
14 In the evening there is sudden terror; by morning they vanish. This is the fate of those who try to plunder us, the destiny of those who try to loot us!
Illustration: Are You a Christian
A little boy was walking down the beach, and as he did, he spied aa elderly woman sitting on the sand. He asked, “Are you a Christian??” “Yes.” “Do you read your Bible every day?” “Yes.” “Do you pray often?” And again she answered, “Yes.” With that the little boy asked his final question, “Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?” What do you need to give to God as you head back out into the waters of life? I invite you to establish your trust in Jesus. (Author Unknown)