Page 66 - Isaiah Student Worktext

The warning is for all who trust in their wealth.

V. 12-15 Similar to Chapter 17, their cities will be turned over to thorns and briers, and livestock will be
grazing where their forts and towers used to be. It will remain that way until the ‘Spirit is poured’ from
on high. Then, the fields will become fruitful again.

V. 16-19 When a Godless society is destroyed, it does not necessarily mean that a Godly one will replace
it. After WW II, the empires set up by Japan and Germany were freed, but many of them became just as
far from God as the preceding ones were. Only, as in V. 15, if the Holy Spirit is poured out will there be a
difference.

The Holy Spirit is often compared to water. Being saturated with the Holy Spirit will bring changes.
Justice will dwell, righteousness will bring peace, and people will dwell in ‘quiet resting places’. Even
when calamity comes…here described as hail and humiliation, justice, peace and righteousness will
prevail.

V. 20 This verse wraps up the concept of the fruitful fields by telling us it’s not all about fruit and grain.
The good seed of the Word of God sown in fertile ground and watered by the Holy Spirit will produce
abundant fruit.

Chapter 33 - Main Idea: This chapter gives a magnificent vision of the
victory of King Jesus over all His foes, giving hope to all who trust in
Him.

We know from Luke 19: 1-10 the passage that tells of Zacchaeus, who climbed
up into a tree to get a better view of Jesus. Chapter 33 is a ‘sycamore tree’ in that it gives us a better
view of the Second Coming of Jesus.

In the contemporary context, this chapter applies to the continuing story of Israel/Judah and their fear
of the threat of Assyria. After having tried alliances with other hostile neighbors, King Hezekiah, seeing
nowhere else to turn, turns to God.

V. 1 Although the name of Assyria is not mentioned, this verse is addressed to them. By not naming
Assyria, God planned for these verses to apply to any nation, present or future, who did the same type
of things.

‘Woe’ to you who plunder, even though you have not been plundered. In other words, you will be paid
back for doing what no one had done to you.

Because Judah had entered into an alliance with Assyria, the way things were supposed to work was
that Assyria would protect Judah. Instead, they had plans to destroy Jerusalem.

In Chapter 37, we will see that Assyria’s king, Sennacherib, will be murdered by his own sons. Woe to
you who plunder…

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