Today’s message is from Isaiah. Although Israel was a people loved by God, they turned their backs on God and went away from God. As a result they became sick, and were wounded. They were strongly exhausted from the top of their head to the tip of their toes. To such an Israel God showed the way to reconciliation. If they will repent, God promises to forgive their sin, and cleanse them from all evil. This pattern is repeated over and over again in the book of Isaiah.
This is repeated again in today’s passage. In today’s passage Israel is called
“the faithful city”. (21) However, “the faithful city has become a prostitute!” (21) This passage describes how Israel will be restored. Today I would like to talk about three aspects of Israel’s restoration.
- What “the faithful city” (21) that has become degraded is like
- The plan of God for the restoration of “the faithful city” (21)
- What needs to be done for the restoration
- The faithful city which has become a prostitute (vs. 21-23)
First, let’s look at what “the faithful city” (21) that has become degraded is like. Please look at verses 21 to 23.
Here God laments, “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute!” (21) “The faithful city” is Jerusalem, in other words, Israel. Jerusalem was made to be sincere with her whole heart, to be a “faithful city” (21) with no lies. It “once was full of justice; (and) righteousness”. (21) Even so, it “has become a prostitute!” (21) Here God likens his relationship with Israel to a relationship of a married couple. For a married couple the most important thing is faithfulness. The husband, God, is lamenting because faithfulness has been lost. Israel has turned her back on the covenant that God has given her, and has become disobedient, and unfaithful. God saw her turn her heart to idols, and is lamenting, “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute!” (21)
In the Bible with the exception of Jesus probably the person who was the most full of justice; (and) righteousness” (21) was David. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, but towards God he was really faithful. He recognized that everything was under the sovereignty of God. He had the chance to kill Saul when he was in the cave, but David didn’t harm him. That is because David knew that Saul was the anointed King. Therefore, he only cut the hem of Saul’s clothes, but even so, his conscious felt bad. That was because he recognized that everything was under the sovereignty of God. He recognized that the good things and the bad things, all that happens in his life, everything came from God. That is how much he feared God and followed God. This type of faithfulness is needed.
However, Israel was not like this. They turned their back on the covenant they were given from God. They became unfaithful, impure, and their hearts turned to idols. That is just like silver that has become dross or choice wine that “is diluted with water”. (22) Verse 22 says, “Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water.” “Dross” (22) refers to scum produced by impurities in the metal. When such impurities enter the silver, then it loses its value. “Choice wine” is the same. If you add water, the taste will be weak. The easiest way to understand is to think of coca cola. If you diluted coca cola it wouldn’t taste very good. When something isn’t pure, but has something added to it, it’s no longer the real thing. This is how Israel was.
The result is in verse 23. “Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” The result of them being separated from God was that especially the leaders of the country became like “partners with thieves”. (23) They “love bribes and chase after gifts”. (23) They live by instinct and become like animals. As a result their ethics deteriorated, “dog eat dog” battles were repeated over and over again, the degradation of the government, and immorality spread. Israel refused their creator and Lord so they fell to immorality.
This isn’t just Israel. Our present day society is like this too. When deeply sinning mankind refuses God and lives selfishly, he seeks after things that can be seen. As a result degradation and destruction occur and their lives become confused.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“ Matt. 5:13 Salt is of no use if it is no salty. Such salt is useless, and will be thrown outside and people will walk on it. We as Christians must fully fulfill the role as salt in the world.
We are called to be the bride of Christ and to be faithful. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.“ Matt. 6:24 We must concentrate on Jesus’ heart and thoughts. God wants us to be faithful. This is what Christians are called to do.
- The restoration of the faithful city (vs. 24-27)
Please look at verses 24 to 27.
We can see in verse 24 that God is going to judge this Israel. “Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares; ‘Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies.’” “Therefore” (24) refers to the fact that “the faithful city has become a prostitute!”(21) Israel had “become a prostitute!” (21) and did “not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” (23). “Therefore” (24) God is going to judge Israel.
Here God’s name is “the LORD Almighty” (24) and “the Mighty One of Israel”. (24) “The LORD Almighty” (24) is a designation for God which has a military meaning blended into it. “The Mighty One” refers to God’s omnipotence. In other words, not matter how much power and strength the Israelite leaders had, “the LORD Almighty” (24) had far much more power and strength and will fight for “the fatherless” (23) and “the widows”. (23) Then those who were treasonous will be paid back.
However, when we look at verse 25 we can see that God’s judgment does not just occur so that they will be judged, but God’s judgment occurs for the purpose that the impurities will be taken out of them and they will be restored.
Verses 25, 26
This is a prophecy about the Great Tribulation
Daniel 9:27
Daniel prophesized that in the end times there will be Tribulation for seven years. That is for “one week” (Daniel 9:27). “One week” (Daniel 9:27) refers to 7 years. Therefore, half a week is three and a half days, so in other words, it is three and a half years. In the seven year period of Tribulation, in the last half, the later three and a half years the tribulations will reach the extremes so it is called the Great Tribulation. The Jews will go through this tribulation period. During this Great Tribulation by the suffering the scum (doss, vs. 25) will melt like lye, and can be removed. In other words, their unbelief will be removed and they will repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They will be given a new heart that follows God. Like this all of Israel will be saved and the prophecies of the Bible will be fulfilled. Let’s look at the prophecies of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Also Ezekiel, Ezekiel 36:24-27
This is how God’s Kingdom, the Millennium will appear. During the Tribulation there will be those Israelites who repent and are given a faith in Jesus Christ and they are born again and are changed. During the Millennium they fear and honor God from their hearts. With all their hearts, and with all their soul, and with all their might they follow God’s commands. The Jerusalem will become “the City of Righteousness, the FaithfulCity.” (26) God has a plan to restore Israel in this way. Therefore, in verse 27 it says, “Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.” (27)
Zion will not be restored by military strength or political strength, but by “justice” (27) and “righteousness”. (27) The NIV translation does not use the word “redeem”. However, a word by word translation of the later part of this verse would be, “Those that return of her (in other words, those that are converted) shall be redeemed with righteousness.” To redeem means to pay the price and buy. The price that God paid was God’s son Jesus Christ. By the Son, Jesus Christ the new citizens who live in Zion were bought. By repenting of their sins and believing in Jesus Christ, Zion is redeemed. In the last days, this time will surely come.
This is what God has planned. Sometimes we too have difficult trials, but the purpose of them is not to destroy us, but so that the scum in us can be removed. God is giving us such trials so that we will return to our pure faith “as in days of old…as at the beginning.”(26)
God always runs after those who sin and start to get off the race course of faith. That is not to judge the person. God loves that person. God gives trials so that he can bring that person back to God’s love.
In America every year thousands of cars are stolen. Once in Los Angeles a car was stolen. This was a daily thing, nothing special, but all of America paid attention to it. That was because the owner of the car was planning to go to his cabin in the mountains on the weekend. The cabin was overrun with mice so the person had prepared poisonous crackers to kill the mice with and put them in the car. After he got in the car, he remembered that he forgot something and went back in the house. Just then the burglar came and stole his car.
The man whose car was stolen called the police. “My car was stolen! In the car were poisonous crackers to kill mice. If the burglar eats the crackers by mistake, he will die! Hurry and catch him!”
The police used patrol cars and every other method to try to catch the burglar. It was on the T.V. and radio. Then the man that stole the car thought that everyone in Los Angeles and California was desperately trying to catch him, so he tried hard to run away. The police were desperately trying to catch him so he would be saved. However, the burglar didn’t know that that was why they were chasing him so he thought if he was caught that he would be brought to court so he desperately ran away.
It is the same with us. God wants to save our lives. Therefore, he is running after those people who have sinned and are separated from God. That is because he wants to save us. Therefore, God gives trials and in the midst of them gives us warnings to repent and leads us to the right road. Please open your Bibles to I Peter 1:6,7
I Peter 1:6,7
We can rejoice when we are in the midst of trials. That is because “now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials”, (I Peter 1:6) Through the trials we are purified, and we know that some day it will “result in praise, glory and honor”. (I Peter 1:7) God is making us to be like God. This is “of greater wroth than gold… refined by fire.” (I Peter 1:7) Therefore, Paul says in I Cor. 10:13, “no temptation has over taken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Satan works to try to knock us down, but God makes it possible for us to bear it. When we have trials we may come close to being knocked down, but God always supports us, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (I Cor. 10:13) We must not look at the trials itself, but at the hope that is in front of the trial.
- To become the FaithfulCity (vs. 28-31)
Therefore, we need to repent. If we don’t repent, God’s judgment will come upon us. “The faithful city” (1, 26) will not be restored. Please look at verses 28 to 31.
“Rebels and sinners will both be broken, and…will perish.” (28) This type of people are “like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water.”(30) This is the condition of being very dried up. Then as it says in verse 31, they are like “tinder” and “a spark”. Israel is like an oak now dried up, like tinder that is set on fire and utterly destroyed. No matter how much they show off that they are strong people like “the mighty men”, (31) they will soon burn and be destroyed. That is because they rebelled against God and do what God detests. In verse 29 it says, “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.” These “sacred oaks” (29) and “the gardens” (29) were places where idol worship took place. Prostitution was a part of these religious ceremonies. The children who were born out of prostitution were sometimes slaughtered. That is one complaint God has of Israel, “They do not defend the cause of the fatherless.” (23) These were originally the pagan religious ceremonies of the people of Canaan. They calmly did such things. The recompense for doing such things was shame and disgrace.
God will restore. Jerusalem which “has become a prostitute” (1) will be “the City of Righteousness, the FaithfulCity.” (26) To do that God will purify us. We need to remember that we have to suffer in various trials, but that not to destroy us, but is for our recovery. We need to repent and return to God. Let’s have our doubts and disobedience removed and be made into a person that does the will of God. This is the hope of recovery. “Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.” (27)
Applying this to our lives
- Are you living out your faith faithfully as Christ’s bride? “No one can serve two masters.” (Matt. 6:24) Who is your other master?
2. What impurity needs to be removed from you? So that you can do that, what trial is God giving you? Have you recognized that God is working through out your whole life for you?