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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'1-');">Isa 33</a> - The <span class="c6">Lord</span> Delivers Zion</h2>
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<p>A. The <span class="c6">Lord</span> comes in judgment and graciousness.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,1);">1</a>) Woe to plundering Assyria.</p>
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<p class="c2">Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, you will be plundered; when you make an end of dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Woe to you who plunder</span></b>: This prophecy, spoken before the Assyrian invasion, shows that this seemingly unstoppable army will in fact be stopped. Those who did the plundering <b><span class="c3">will be plundered</span></b>, and will be dealt with <b><span class="c3">treacherously</span></b> by others.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Jesus spoke of this same principle in <a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'1-2');">Mat 7:1-2</a>: <i>Judge not, that you not be judged. For with what judgment you judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.</i> God has every right to deal with us as we have dealt with others.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'2-4');">2-4</a>) The prayer of God's people.</p>
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<p class="c2">O <span class="c6">Lord</span>, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; when You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered; and Your plunder shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar; as the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">O <span class="c6">Lord</span>, be gracious to us</span></b>: In light of the Assyrian threat and the longed for deliverance of a righteous king, God's people no longer look to the Egyptians, they no longer look to themselves. Now, they look to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and cry out, "<b><span class="c3">O <span class="c6">Lord</span>, be gracious to us</span></b>."</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning</span></b>: God's people aren't trusting in themselves anymore. They are waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and looking to <i>His</i> <b><span class="c3">arm every morning</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered</span></b>: God's people have a <i>confident</i> expectation in the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. Their prayer is filled with wonderful expectancy.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Like the gathering of the caterpillar</span></b>: "Verse four may already have had an initial fulfillment after the death of the Assyrian soldiers, for undoubtedly the inhabitants of Jerusalem congregated like caterpillars around the corpses and the implements of war." (Bultema)</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'5-6');">5-6</a>) The praise of God's people.</p>
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<p class="c2">The <span class="c6">Lord</span> is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is His treasure.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">The <span class="c6">Lord</span> is exalted</span></b>: The tough times were hard, but they brought God's people to a different, better view of who He is. Because they have been brought low, they see that <b><span class="c3">the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is exalted</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness</span></b>: God's people pray this in <i>anticipation</i> of the answer. You don't have to wait until God does it all to give Him thanks. You can, by faith, give Him thanks ahead of time!</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">The fear of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is His treasure</span></b>: Honor, respect, and reverence towards the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is <b><span class="c3">His treasure</span></b>. It is a gift God gives us, not so we will cower in fear, but so we will rightly honor Him.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'7-9');">7-9</a>) The <span class="c6">Lord</span>'s judgment brings the earth low.</p>
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<p class="c2">Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man. The earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon is like a wilderness, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Their valiant ones shall cry outside...The earth mourns and languishes</span></b>: When the judgment of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> comes to the earth, everyone is brought low before Him. The <b><span class="c3">valiant ones shall cry</span></b>, and the <b><span class="c3">ambassadors of peace</span></b> - who trusted in other nations instead of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> - <b><span class="c3">shall weep bitterly</span></b>. Even the mighty <b><span class="c3">Lebanon</span></b>, with her majestic forests of cedar, <b><span class="c3">is shamed and shriveled</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. The Hebrew word translated <b><span class="c3">valiant ones</span></b> appears only this one time in the Bible. "The word <i>erellam</i>, which we translate <i>valiant ones</i>, is very difficult; no man knows what it means. <i>Kimchi</i> supposes that it is the name of the angel that smote the Assyrian camp! The <i>Vulgate</i>, and my Old MS., translate it <i>seers</i>; and most of the Versions understand it this way. None of the MSS. give us any help." (Clarke)</p>
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<p>B. The fire of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'10-13');">10-13</a>) The <span class="c6">Lord</span> announces His fire of judgment.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Now I will rise," says the <span class="c6">Lord</span>; "Now I will be exalted, now I will lift Myself up. You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire. Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Now I will rise</span></b>: As the whole earth is brought low by the judgment of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, at the same time, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> lifts Himself up.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire</span></b>: God's judgment will come like fire, and the wicked and worthless works of man will be like <b><span class="c3">chaff</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">stubble</span></b> that is quickly and ferociously burned in the fire.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. "<i>To lime</i> stresses the intensity of the blaze." (Motyer)</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'14-19');">14-19</a>) Fearful sinners and blessed saints.</p>
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<p class="c2">The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: he will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will see the land that is very far off. Your heart will meditate on terror: "Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?" You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech, beyond perception, of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">The sinners in Zion are afraid</span></b>: Of course they are! The judgment of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is coming! Those who were not afraid to practice their sin are now afraid when righteous judgment comes upon their sin.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly...He will dwell on high</span></b>: Though the <b><span class="c3">sinners</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">hypocrites</span></b> are terrified at the coming judgment of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, the <span class="c6">Lord</span>'s righteous ones are comforted that God is coming to set things right.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Your eyes will see the King in His beauty</span></b>: The <span class="c6">Lord</span> will bless His righteous ones. They will have a <b><span class="c3">place of defense</span></b>, a <b><span class="c3">fortress</span></b>, and <b><span class="c3">bread</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">water</span></b> will not fail them. But far above these material blessings, they will <b><span class="c3">see the King in His beauty</span></b>. In the most immediate sense, this referred to Hezekiah; but in the ultimate sense, to our Beautiful Savior Jesus.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Beyond all the material glory, splendor, and comfort of heaven, this is the greatest glory of heaven: not to be personally glorified, but to <b><span class="c3">see the King in His beauty</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. It isn't only seeing <b><span class="c3">the King</span></b>; it is seeing Him <b><span class="c3">in His beauty</span></b>. It can be said that we occasionally catch a "glimpse" of our King Jesus, and even sometimes have a glance at <b><span class="c3">His beauty</span></b>. But the highest experience we could have now is like nothing compared to what we will experience when we <b><span class="c3">see the King in His beauty</span></b>. Paul said of our present walk, <i>For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Cr',13,12);">1Cr 13:12</a>)<i>.</i> Today, when we look in a good mirror, the image is clear. But in the ancient world, mirrors were made out of polished metal, and the image was always unclear and somewhat distorted. We see Jesus now only in a dim, unclear way, but one-day we will see Him with perfect clarity.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Heaven is precious to us for many reasons. We long to be with loved ones who have passed before us and whom we miss so dearly. We long to be with the great men and women of God who have passed before us in centuries past. We want to walk the streets of gold, see the pearly gates, see the angels round the throne of God worshipping Him day and night. However, none of those things, precious as they are, make heaven really "heaven." What makes heaven really heaven is the unhindered, unrestricted, presence of our <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and to <b><span class="c3">see the King in His beauty</span></b> will be the greatest experience of your eternal existence.</p>
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<p class="c5">iv. Part of the <b><span class="c3">beauty</span></b> of <b><span class="c3">the King</span></b> in heaven will be the scars He retains from His suffering for our sake on this earth. After Jesus rose from the dead in His glorified body, His body uniquely retained the nail prints in His hands and the scar on his side (<a onclick="return mV('Jhn',20,'24-29');">Jhn 20:24-29</a>). In <a onclick="return mV('Zec',12,10);">Zec 12:10</a>, Jesus speaks prophetically of the day when the Jewish people, turned to Him, see Him in glory: <i>then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn</i>. <a onclick="return mV('Zec',13,6);">Zec 13:6</a> continues the thought:<i> And one will say to him, "What are these wounds between your arms?" Then he will answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."</i></p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Your heart will meditate on terror</span></b>: The revealing of the King will be the greatest glory for the child of God, but it will be greatest terror for the one who has set their heart against or apart from God. In vain, they will look to the <b><span class="c3">scribe</span></b> or <b><span class="c3">he who weighs</span></b> or <b><span class="c3">he who counts the towers</span></b> for help, but there will be none.</p>
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<p class="c4">e. <b><span class="c3">You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech</span></b>: Though the northern nation of Israel was demolished by the Assyrians (<b><span class="c3">a people of obscure speech, beyond perception</span></b>), the southern nation of Judah would be delivered (<b><span class="c3">you will not see</span></b>). Isaiah mixes the pictures of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>'s ultimate deliverance on the day of judgment, and the soon coming deliverance from the Assyrians.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',33,'20-24');">20-24</a>) Zion is delivered and blessed.</p>
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<p class="c2">Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down; not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the majestic <span class="c6">Lord</span> will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by (For the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is our Judge, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is our Lawgiver, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is our King; He will save us); your tackle is loosed, they could not strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; the lame take the prey. And the inhabitant will not say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Look upon Zion...your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation</span></b>: In the midst of the Assyrian threat, God will preserve Jerusalem. <b><span class="c3">Not one of its stakes will ever be moved</span></b>!</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">A place of broad rivers and streams</span></b>: God's blessing on Zion would bring <b><span class="c3">broad rivers and streams</span></b> to this once barren, desert land.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. "This chapter, so full of compelling imagery, presents a picture of Jerusalem as a kind of Near Easter Venice or Amsterdam, or, to place it in its historical context, like the great cities of Egypt or Mesopotamia. Most great civilizations have grown up around important rivers. Israel, in general, and Jerusalem, in particular, were exceptions to this." (Grogan)</p>
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<p class="c4">c. But wouldn't a wide river give a path to an enemy coming on a ship? No, because <b><span class="c3">there the majestic <span class="c6">Lord</span> will be for us...no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by. For the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is our Judge...He will save us</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Those <b><span class="c3">majestic ships</span></b> turned out to be not so <b><span class="c3">majestic</span></b> after all. <b><span class="c3">Your tackle is loosed, they could not strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail</span></b>. It was foolish to ever fear the <b><span class="c3">majestic ships</span></b> instead of trusting the <b><span class="c3">majestic <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. "Although they shall have from God the security of a great river, yet they shall be freed from the disadvantage of it; which is, that the enemies may come against them in ships; for no galleys nor ships of the enemy's shall be able to come into this river to annoy them." (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">The lame take the prey...the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity</span></b>: When God saves, He does it in unlikely ways. It is an unexpected blessing that the <b><span class="c3">lame take the prey</span></b>. It is an unexpected blessing that people can be <b><span class="c3">forgiven their iniquity</span></b>. The <b><span class="c3">majestic <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b> brings unexpected blessing!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. "They shall not only receive from me a glorious temporal deliverance; but, which is infinitely better, the pardon of all their sins, and all those spiritual and everlasting blessings which attend upon that mercy." (Poole)</p>
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