13 – 23 Nation Oracles

Introduction

The scope of Isaiah’s prophecies expands between chapters 13 – 23 to include God’s sovereign rule over all the earth. We have already looked at in chapters 13 – 14 standing at the head of the list of oracles against the nations. This present section will now cover oracles against other nations and will proclaim God’s ultimate and inevitable judgment against the entire world.

In previous chapters, the Lord brought a lawsuit against His people because of their continual and pervasive sin. They would experience His judgment for such rebellion. Yet, there would be a remnant of faith that He would protect and preserve.

In the previous chapter Isaiah began to prophesy about the coming Messiah— how this King would have the government on His shoulders and how He would exercise God’s justice and righteousness. In these current chapters we see that the extent of the Messiah’s rule will be over all the nations, not simply over .

(See previous notes for chapter 13 and 14 for the prophecy against Babylon and her King. This set will pick it up at the end of chapter 14 with the oracle against .)

I. (14:24‐32) Oracle against Assyria

A. Reader’s Note

What follows is a cursory (and incomplete) outline of Assyrian history, with particular attention to the Assyrian kings. It is hard to find this information in one place, and since the Assyrian Empire is the historical backdrop to the , I have placed this information here. It would be very difficult to keep this information at your fingertips in the front of your mind, so I gathered it here for your reference.

B. Isaiah’s Historical Context

1. Remember that when Isaiah prophesied the reigning power in the Ancient Near East was the Assyrian Empire.

2. However, Babylon is placed at the head of these nation oracles in chapter 13. a) Placing Babylon at the head highlights its eschatological significance as the headquarters of Satan’s rebellious kingdom.

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b) From Isaiah’s historical vantage point, placing Babylon at the head of the nations also highlights the significance of the coming Babylonian Captivity after the Assyrian Empire Falls. c) But at the time Isaiah prophesied, Babylon was not a world power.

C. Early History of Assyria

1. Assyria existed as a nation from the late 25th century BC to its conquest around 605 BC.

2. Territory a) Its territory was centered in the region of the Upper Tigris River (modern‐day Iraq). b) At the height of its strength (700‐627BC), Assyria stretched from the head of the Persian Gulf across the Fertile Crescent into modern‐day Turkey, who modern‐day Israel, and then down the into . c) It’s ancient capital was the city of Assur, though later the capital was moved to the city of Nineveh.

3. Early History (see footnote below from Wikipedia)1

1 “Assyria evolved originally as a minor Akkadian kingdom. From the late 24th Century BC Assyrian kings would certainly have been regional leaders only, and subject to Sargon of Akkad who united all the Akkadian speaking peoples of Mesopotamia under the Akkadian Empire which lasted from 2334 BC to 2154 BC. After the fall of the Akkadian Empire circa 2154 BC, and the succeeding Sumerian 3rd Dynasty of Ur, Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into just two separate nations; Assyria in the north, and some century and a half later, Babylonia in the south. In the Old Assyrian period of the Early Bronze Age, Assyria had been a kingdom of northern Mesopotamia (modern‐day northern Iraq), initially competing with their fellow Sumero‐Akkadian states in southern Mesopotamia for dominance of the region, and also with the Hattians and Hurrians to the north in Asia Minor, the Gutians to the east in the Zagros Mountains and the Eblaites and later Amorites in The Levant to the west. During the 20th century BC, it established colonies in Asia Minor, and under king Ilushuma, it asserted itself over southern Mesopotamia. From the late 19th century BC Assyria came into conflict with the newly created state of Babylonia which eventually eclipsed the older Sumero‐ Akkadian states in the south. Assyria experienced fluctuating fortunes in the Middle Assyrian period. Assyria had a period of empire under Shamshi‐Adad I and Ishme‐Dagan in the 19th and 18th centuries BC. Following this it found itself under short periods of Babylonian and Mitanni‐Hurrian domination in the 18th and 15th centuries BC respectively, and another period of great power and empire from 1365 BC to 1076 BC, that included the reigns of great kings such as Ashur‐uballit I, Arik‐ den‐ili, Tukulti‐Ninurta I and Tiglath‐Pileser I. Beginning with the campaigns of Adad‐nirari II from 911 BC, it again became a great power over the next 3 centuries, overthrowing the Twenty‐fifth dynasty of Egypt and conquering Egypt, Babylonia, Elam, Urartu/Armenia, Media, Persia, Mannea, Gutium, Phoenicia/, Aramea (Syria), Arabia, Israel, , , , Samarra, Cilicia, Cyprus, , Nabatea, Commagene, Dilmun and the Hurrians, Sutu and Neo‐Hittites, driving the Ethiopians and Nubians from Egypt, defeating the Cimmerians and Scythians and exacting tribute from Phrygia, Magan and Punt among others. After its fall, (between 612 BC and 605 BC), Assyria remained a province and Geo‐political entity under the Babylonian, Median,

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D. History of Neo‐Assyria in times

1. This period began in 911 BC with the ascension of King Adad‐nirari II, who consolidated the kingdom and began its expansion.

2. Succession of Neo‐Assyrian kings through Shalmaneser V (726‐723 BC). (n.b. Many of these facts were gleaned directly from Wikipedia, but edited by me.) a) Adad‐nirari II (911 – 982 BC) (1) He consolidated the Empire. (2) He marks the beginning of the neo‐Assyrian Empire. b) Tukulti‐Ninurta II (891‐884 BC) (1) He continues to consolidate the Empire. (2) He expands into the Zagros Mountains, dominating the Persians and . c) Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) (1) He had a reputation as a cruel king who turned Assyria into a vast fighting machine. (2) He advances the Empire through , Canaan, and Asia Minor to the Mediterranean. (3) He exacts tribute from the vassal peoples. (4) He moved his capital to the city of Kalhu (Calah/Nimrud) d) Shalmaneser III (858–823 BC)2

Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Roman and Sassanid empires until the Arab Islamic invasion and conquest of Mesopotamia in the mid‐7th century AD, when it was finally dissolved.”

2 Naʼaman, Nadav. "The construction of the Assyrian empire: a historical study of the inscriptions of Shalmaneser III, 859‐824 BC, relating to his campaigns to the west." Bulletin Of The American Schools Of Oriental Research no. 327 (August 1, 2002): 96‐99.

“The reign of Shalmaneser III was the most remarkable period of Assyrian military advance to the west in the preimperial period. During his 35-year reign Shalmaneser (858–824 B.C.E.) conducted 21 campaigns against the lands west of the Euphrates. He established the Assyrian border on the Euphrates and in the course of his campaigns conquered vast territories up to the kingdom of Israel in the southwest and the kingdom of Tabal in the Anatolian plateau west of the Taurus mountainous range. He carried an enormous amount of booty and tributes to Assyria and imposed an annual tribute on the subjugated rulers. The pattern he established of holding sway over the Syro- Palestinian and southeastern Anatolian vassals by means of periodic campaigns was adopted—though with many ups and downs—by his successors for almost a century. Signi˜cant change took place only in the time of Tiglathpileser III (745–727), the founder of the Assyrian empire, who annexed many west Euphrates kingdoms and extended the Assyrian territory over most of the Syro- Palestinian areas.”

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(1) He was the first Assyrian king to come in contact with Israel, fighting against King Ahab, and exacting tribute from King Jehu. (2) He reduced Babylonia to vassalage. (3) He defeated Aramea, Israel, Urartu, Phoenicia, the neo Hittite states and the Arabs. (4) He fought the Battle of Qarqar against an alliance of 12 nations (including Egypt and Israel). (5) He consolidated Assyrian control over the regions conquered by his predecessors. (6) He engaged in many building projects and his royal inscriptions are more detailed than any other Assyrian king. (7) By the end of his 27 year reign Assyria was master of Mesopotamia, The Levant, western Iran, Israel, Jordan and much of Asia Minor. e) Shamshi‐Adad V (822‐811 BC) (1) Empire was experiencing civil war—most of his attention was spent with the Babylonian conflict. (2) He won the Civil War in 820 BC and further solidified the Empire’s hold over Babylonia in the South. f) Adad‐nirari III (810‐ 782 BC) [Ashurnasirpal I?] (1) The Empire was ruled on behalf of this boy‐King by his infamous mother, Semiramis until 806 BC. (2) He invaded the Levant and subjugated the Arameans, Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, neo Hittites, Moabites and Edomites. He also entered Damascus and forced tribute upon its Aramean king Ben‐Hadad III. g) Shalmaneser IV (782 ‐ 773 BC) (1) He proved to be an ineffectual ruler. (2) Power seems to have been concentrated in the hands of his general, Shamshi‐ilu. h) Ashur‐dan III (772 ‐ 754 BC)—was another ineffectual ruler i) Ashur‐nirari V (754 ‐ 745 BC)

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(1) He too was an ineffectual ruler. (2) He was deposed by Tiglath‐Pileser III in 745 BC. j) Tiglath‐Pileser III (745‐727 BC) (1) Also known as “Pul” (2 Kings 15:19; 1 Chr. 5:26) (2) He greatly expanded the Empire and restored Assyria to a great power. (3) He was also declared king in Babylon, greatly expanding the direct control of the Neo‐Assyrian Empire. (4) Significantly, he introduced eastern Aramaic as the Lingua Franca of Assyria and its vast empire—Aramaic would become the language of the Jews after its return from the Babylonian Captivity. (5) He began to destroy the northern capital of Israel, , which is recorded in the Babylonian Chronicle. k) Shalmaneser V (726‐722 BC) (1) He had a short reign. (2) But he was able to keep Egypt from gaining ground in the Levant. (3) He besieged Samaria, Israel’s northern capital, but died before its conquest. l) Sargon II (722‐705 BC) (1) He maintained and strengthened the Empire. (2) He defeated Samaria, Israel’s northern capital. (3) He took captive the northern tribes of Israel in 722 BC. m) Sennacherib (705‐681 BC) (1) He put down a Babylonian rebellion and installed his son Ashur‐nadin‐shumi as king. (2) He laid siege to Judah, conquering many of its cities, including Lachish in 701 BC. (3) He was unable to defeat in , whom he claimed he had held up like a “bird in a cage.” The Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night mandating Sennacherib’s return to Assyria (2 Kings 19:32‐37). (4) He was later murdered by his own sons.

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n) Esarhaddon (680‐669 BC) (1) He rebuilt Babylon. (2) He defeated the Egyptians and extended his empire into Nubia. (3) He expanded the Empire and brought a measure of peace. o) Ashurbanipal (669‐627 BC) (1) He crushed a rebellion led by his brother Shamash‐shum‐ukin, the Assyrian king of Babylon. (2) He kept the Empire together with a firm hand. (3) He built many temples, palaces, and libraries. (4) He kept both the Persians and the Medes in vassal state. (5) The now vast empire would become difficult to administrate. p) Assur‐etil‐ilani (627‐607 B.C.) – Under his reign the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babylonians.

E. Oracle against Assyria (14: 24‐32)

1. (24‐27) The Lord promises to break the Assyrian in the land of Israel. a) The yoke of captivity will depart from Israel—eventually. b) Keep in mind that it is the northern tribes that will directly feel the yoke of Assyrian captivity, but even the southern tribe of Judah will feel the Assyrian oppression as it is made to pay heavy tribute. c) This promise then, is that God will deliver his people from captivity. (1) There is both a short‐term and a long‐term fulfillment to such a promise, but in very different ways. (a) The short‐term will be the removal of Assyria, but there is bad news to follow. The Babylonians will then take the Jews captive. (b) The true fulfillment of this promise will not come until the end times. (c) This “bad news” is delivered in the next versus by addressing the Philistines. It’s a very artful way of delivering bad news to the Jews as well.

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(2) (26‐27) And in a similar way, Assyria then becomes the stand‐ in for the worldwide oppression of God’s people.

2. (28‐31) So, should not rejoice in the destruction of Assyria because worse is yet to come. a) “Philistia” is the land of the Philistines located within Israel and concentrated in five cities: Gath, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and . At the time of Isaiah, Philistia covered the entire coastal area up past Joppa (modern Tel Aviv), and was ruled by the Assyrians after they put down Philistine rebellions. b) There are varying views on this passage, particularly as to the identity of “the rod that struck you” in verse 29. (1) Previous context seems to indicate that the rod was Assyria, which in fact had captured all of Philistia and governed it with a strong hand. (2) Others such as Motyer (pp 139‐141), see the reference as referring to the house of in Judah. King David would have been the rod that struck them, and King (in his death) would have been the rod who was broken.3 (a) In such a view, Philistia could rejoice but only for a time as the Lord would one day rule from . (b) However, Philistia’s destruction would come from the north. Judah would come from the east to the west. (3) I believe it is best to see the reference to Assyria, which attacked from the north. The “broken rod” could be the death of Assyrian King Tiglath‐pileser III, who died in 727.4 c) (29) If the main reference in these verses is to Assyria and not the house of David, then the “serpents root” will bring forth an “adder” is most likely a reference to the coming Babylonian oppression after the Assyrian domination. In other words there is no end in sight. One empire will follow another and the Philistines will be under foot of both.

3 J. A. Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Commentaries, vol. 20 (Nottingham, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter‐Varsity Press; IVP Academic, 2009), 139‐41.

4 John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1986), 331.

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3. (32) The hope for the Philistines, (who might be a stand‐in for the entire world), will be found in the Lord of Israel who establishes his throne on Mount Zion.

4. Summarizing a) The good news is that the Assyrians will be defeated. b) The bad news, delivered to the Philistines as a possible stand‐in for all the nations of the world, is that the Babylonians are coming. c) The good news is that there will be deliverance for God’s people in Mount Zion. The immediate reference is obviously to the remnant of Jews. But in Christ, all believers will one day find refuge in the Lord.

II. (Chapters 15 – 16) Oracle against Moab

A. Moabites

1. Moab is located east of Judah on the other side of the Dead Sea, stretching south of the territory of Reuben and north of the Edomites.

2. The Moabites (along with the Ammonites) are descendants from Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:30‐38). a) The Moabites (Balak) participated in the hiring of Balaam to try to curse Israel as she came out of Egypt (Genesis 22‐24)

B. Moab’s pride prevents her salvation

1. (15:1‐4) The devastation of Moab (probably caused by the Assyrians— though perhaps future) is extensive. a) (vs. 2) It causes the people to become “religious” and go to their temple, yet every head is bald—defeated and shamed. b) (vs. 3) The people wear sackcloth and are in utter despair. Everyone wails and melts in tears.

2. (15:5‐9) The Lord cries over the hurting people a) (vs. 5) The Lord’s heart cries for Moab. (1) Her fugitives flee. (2) They go weeping. (3) They raise a cry of destruction. b) (vs. 6‐7) The land is laid waste and what is left they carry away. c) (vs. 8‐9) Moab wails in total destruction.

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3. (16:1‐4) Judah/Israel is to be a refuge to Moab a) (vs. 1) Moab reaches out to the ruler of Zion b) (vs. 2‐3) The come for refuge. c) (vs. 4) Judah is to let Moab be protected as refugees.

4. (16:5) This refuge comes through the Davidic ruler—ultimately through , the Messiah. a) He brings protection in his tent. b) He exercises justice and righteousness.

5. (16:6‐11) But incredibly, Moab’s pride will not allow her to come to the throne of David. They reject the helping hand to their own destruction. a) (vs. 6) Moab’s pride will not allow her to come. b) (vs. 7‐8) Therefore Moab will wail in her destruction. c) (vs. 9‐11) The Lord weeps over Moab stuck in her prideful sin.

6. (16:12‐13) Moab will not prevail when he comes to his temple.

7. (16:14) In three years Moab will be decimated. a) It is difficult to date this reference. b) But the bigger point is that the historical references point forward to future disaster as well because Moab is too proud to come to the King of Judah.

III. (Chapter 17) Oracle against Damascus (Syria)/ Ephraim (Israel)

A. Historical context and the point of this section

“Why does Isaiah concealed Ephraim behind an apparent address to Damascus, the capital city of the kingdom of Aram? This is precisely the point: the people of the Lord live out their histories within world history…They are not immune from the demands, pressures, questions and temptations of life in this world. In Isaiah’s time, they too were a small kingdom among the kingdoms and therefore faced the same problem: where is security to be found? Ephraim’s answer, when up against the Assyrian threat, was to turn to Aram… to sink its national identity in that of its more forceful and erstwhile enemy, coming together in an Aram‐Ephraim defensive alliance. Ephraim’s hard experience taught that to identify with the world for salvation was to be caught up in the world’s destruction. We must not be unrealistic about Ephraim’s problem. Think of any small state in our own time threatened with absorption into a superpower! Collective security must have seemed an obvious, even wise way forward. But they could adopted it only at the expense of forgetting their saving God, their strong Rock (17:10). In the scheme of these oracles, the Lord has affirmed (14:1‐2) that he sovereignly governs world history to make and keep his people secure; he never revokes his promises (14:32); and the way of salvation for Gentiles

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is to submit to Zion and its king (16:4‐5; cf. Ps. 2:10‐12). But Ephraim is here found seeking security in Damascus, not in the Lord, failing to trust his promises and reversing his intended procedures by finding salvation in a Gentile power instead of opening the way of salvation to the Gentiles.”5

1. Remember the immediate historical context of Isaiah’s prophecies was the Ephraim‐Aram alliance leading to the Syro‐Ephraimite War (745 BC).

2. The northern tribes, in an attempt to defend themselves against the Assyrian Empire, were willing to form an alliance with Gentile Aram even at the expense of alienating fellow Jews in Judah.

3. They chose what seemed wise according to worldly politics rather than trusting in the Lord for their national defense.

B. Destruction of Damascus (Syria/Aram)

1. (vs. 1‐2) Damascus will be destroyed (by the Assyrians)

2. (vs. 3) Damascus and Ephraim alike will be destroyed. Their alliance will come to nothing.

3. (vs. 4‐6) Ephraim (Israel) will be brought low (by the Assyrians)

4. (vs. 7‐11) In that day Israel will look to her Maker, the Lord, whom she has forgotten. She will face destruction.

5. (vs. 12‐14) Though the nations roar against Israel, the Lord will cause them to flee as He defends His people. a) It is possible that these particular verses look forward to the yet‐ future battles of Armageddon and the Second Coming of the Lord. b) See also Zechariah 14

IV. (Chapter 18) Oracle against Cush (Ethiopia / Egypt)

A. Historical Context

1. Ethiopian Piankhi founded the 25th Dynasty of Egypt.

2. The reference in this passage to “Cush” is the area of the upper Nile, which is today the land of Ethiopia.

5 Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, 148.

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a) So the Oracle against Cush is in essence an Oracle against Egypt in her 25th Dynasty. b) The “land of whirring wings” may be an onomatopoeic reference to the flying insects of the area, or perhaps it is a reference to the sails of the Ethiopian ships that buzz up and down the Nile River.6

3. “Cush” could also be a reference to the “ends of the earth.” a) The passage does seem connected to the warning that have been given in Chapter 17:12 ff. against Israel relying on an alliance with Aram. b) Both warnings begin with “oy,” (), which visually captures the attention of the reader and perhaps serves to link these two passages together. c) If that is the case, then this oracle stands as a warning to Israel not to trust in any global power.

“Cush is historically the land along the Nile south of the 4th cataract. It is included in what is today Ethiopia. As such, it was used as a metaphor for the ends of the earth. This seems to be the purpose of its usage here. If one wishes to convey a message to all the earth, then one should call messengers from the ends of the earth.”7

4. (vs. 3) Despite the difficulty in identifying the people of the last two verses, verse three clearly refers to the people of the world.

“As has been mentioned, this first makes it plain that the ultimate addressees of Isaiah’s message are not merely a royal court somewhere. It is the whole human family which is called to witness the evidence of God’s lordship. When the signals are given, then the world must be prepared to perceive the evidence which God grants us that he is indeed at work. Too often we do not see his hand in the events because we are not expecting to see it. But having been alerted, we are able to perceive through faith the hand which moves the universe and the human heart. “8

6 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 359‐60.

7 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 360.

8 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 361.

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5. (vs. 4‐6) God’s decisive judgment against the world a) The point of these verses is that God will not sit idly by, but will act decisively in judgment against the peoples of the world. b) “But like the quiet heat which builds until it is almost unbearable by mid‐afternoon, or the curtains of mist which drift of the valleys from the coast, God makes his presence known and felt.”9

6. (vs. 7) Nations during the Millennial Kingdom will bring tribute to the Lord in Jerusalem—Egypt and Assyria in particular (Is. 11:16; 19:23).

V. (Chapters 19 – 20) Oracle against Egypt (and future blessings for Egypt, Assyria, and Israel)

A. Main Point

1. The main point is that Israel should not rely on Egypt or any earthly power for her protection. a) Judah continually flirted with an Egyptian alliance in the face of Assyrian threat. b) Egypt would be judged by the Lord, would be at civil war, her gods would be defeated, and she would ultimately wind up in a partial alliance with Judah anyway. c) Therefore, what advantage would it be for Judah to look to Egypt for protection from her Assyrian enemies?

2. Egypt is no protection from Assyria because she too will be judged by the Lord.

3. The Lord will also defend Egypt from her oppressors (Assyria?).

4. And ultimately, sworn enemies—Egypt, Assyria, and Israel—will all one day worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

5. Therefore, the point is that Israel should worship the Lord alone and not trust in worldly nations for her security.

“Chapters 19 – 20 give us God’s word against Egypt. As is evident from chs. 30 and 31, the leaders of Judah attempted to rely more and more upon Egypt as the eighth century drew toward a close and as Assyria’s threat loomed larger and larger. Isaiah’s word was the same

9 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 362.

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as it had been concerning Assyria earlier: whatever we trust in place of God will eventually turn on us and destroy us. Why trust Egypt, he asks, when Egypt has nothing to offer you that you do not already have (ch. 19)? Why trust Egypt when recent history shows she will betray you (ch. 20)? Why not trust the God who holds Egypt in the palm of his hand into Egypt must one day turn?”10

B. (19:1‐15) The Lord goes to war against Egypt and its idols/gods.

“Is it not possible that the author is laying the blame for the internecine struggle at the foot of Egypt’s lush polytheism? It is because she has no one god, like Yahweh, to unite her and because her gods are basically ineffectual and must scrabble for power, the seems to be saying, that Egypt is doomed to disintegration and foreign domination. Why should Judah be attracted to that?”11

1. (vs. 1‐4) Egypt and its demons will fear the Lord at His coming a) (vs. 1) The Lord goes to war, writing on a swift cloud, against Egypt and her idols. (1) Here God’s sovereignty over nature and all other gods is on display. (2) The phrase is also used for Baal, the Canaanite storm‐god. (3) See also Exodus 12:12 were God does battle against the gods of Egypt. b) (vs. 2) Egypt experiences civil war.

“Throughout her history Egypt was especially prone to this kind of dissolution. After the six strong dynasties of the Old Kingdom (3000 – 2200 B.C.), there came a two‐hundred‐year period when each of the 42 nomes (city‐states) became a country unto itself and general chaos reigned. Then the Twelfth Dynasty united the land for about two hundred years (1990 – 1785 B.C.), but again chaos took over for two centuries. So it went again and again.”12

10 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 366.

11 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 367.

12 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 367‐68.

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c) (vs. 3) God will confound the wisdom of Egypt and its demonic roots. d) (vs. 4) The Egyptians will be given over to a foreign king (Assyria perhaps, or maybe just in the sense of a general overlord).

2. (vs. 5‐10) The Nile will be fouled and all who work will be grieved.

3. (vs. 11‐15) The Lord will confuse and confound Egypt’s leaders and sorcerers.

“The princes of Zoan refers to the officials in Tanis, which was the chief city of northern Egypt from the Middle Bronze Age onward. It was situated on the east side of the Delta region and would be the first large Egyptian city encountered by a Semite traveling toward the Nile Valley. At several points when the nation and broken into, Tanis had become the capital city of Lower Egypt. Thus one would expect her officials to be possessed of unusual perspective and awareness. In fact, says Isaiah, they are completely foolish. These supposedly insightful people are giving feral counsel which would not become an animal (1:2, 3).”13

C. (vs. 16‐25) “In that day”

1. (vs. 16‐17) The Egyptians will tremble with fear because the land of Judah will become a terror to them.

2. (vs. 18) Five cities in Egypt will become allies to Judah

3. (vs. 19‐22) There will be an altar to the Lord. a) The Lord will defend Egypt from her oppressors through a savior and defender. b) The Lord will make Himself known to Egyptians and they will worship Him. c) The Lord will strike and heal them.

4. (vs. 23) There will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria a) Both Egyptians and Syrians will worship the Lord b) Israel will also be blessed.

13 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 371.

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5. (19:24‐25) Future blessings for Israel a) Blessings for Egypt “my people” b) Blessings for Assyria, “the work of my hands” c) Blessings for Israel, “my inheritance”

D. (20:1‐6) Dramatized conquest of Egypt and Ethiopia

1. Context a) Assyrians capture the Philistine city of Ashdod in 711 BC b) “The Assyrian defeat of this city was relevant to "Egypt and Cush" (Isa. 20:3) because Ashdod had relied on promises of Egyptian support against Assyrian attack, but Egypt reneged. How then can Egypt‐‐no match for Assyria‐‐be trusted (cf. 30:1‐5; 31:1‐3)? (This Ashdod campaign of 712/711 BC is documented in the Assyrian Annals of Sargon II from Khorsabad. The Annals confirm that Sargon II sent a military commander to capture Ashdod while he remained in his capital city. Excavations at Ashdod have uncovered fragments of an inscribed pillar of Sargon II, and it is a duplicate of a victory pillar found at Khorsabad. In addition, remains of skeletons of 3,000 persons have been found that probably died in Sargon's conquest of the city.)”14

2. The Philistines are used as an object lesson to warn Judah about trusting in Assyria. a) The Philistines had trusted the Egyptians as allies against Assyria, but the Assyrians captured the Philistines on the coast anyway. b) So therefore, Judah should be warned not to rely on Egypt either. c) “Cush” is Ethiopia.

14 ESV Study Bible entry for :1

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VI. (Chapter 21) Oracles against Babylon, Edom and Arabia

A. (vs. 1‐10) Difficulty of passage15

1. The four oracles in chapters 21–22 are obscure, but the probable background is Judah’s flirting with Babylonian alliance while Assyria remained a threat.

2. Babylon itself was under Assyria’s thumb in the late 8th century B.C. a) Prior to 710 B.C. Assyrian King Sargon had given a stinging defeat to the Babylonian ruler, Merodach‐baladan. b) Yet, Babylon remained a thorn to Assyrian at this period. Later Babylon would conquer Assyria, but not yet.

3. Verse 9 seems to indicate the context is Babylon, but given the prophetic nature of the passage, Isaiah is possibly referring as well to the yet future (from the vantage point of Isaiah’s 710 BC) fall of Babylon to Cyrus in 539 BC.

4. The point then is to warn Judah not to rely on the power of Babylon in her defense against Assyria because Babylon itself would one day fall to Cyrus.

B. (vs. 1‐10) Oracle against Babylon

1. Judah is warned not to trust in Babylon or earthly powers for her protection

2. (vs. 1) Southern Mesopotamia was known as the “sealand” in ancient times. a) So this reference could be to Babylon, which was in the southernmost territory of the Assyrian Empire at the head of the Persian Gulf between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. b) Referring to Babylon then as a desert then would be an ironic statement intended to mock a country that cannot help others.16

3. (vs. 2) Elam (modern day southern Iran) and Media are Babylon’s enemies, which are now commanded to go attack her. The Persians and Medes destroyed Babylon in 539 BC under Cyrus.

15 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 387‐89.

16 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 391.

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a) Remember that Isaiah is predicting these events from the vantage point of 710 BC. Babylon is not a world empire at that point. b) Here God is showing His complete sovereignty over history and the nations. Babylon would be no help to Judah because she herself would one day be destroyed by the Medes and Persians.

4. (vs. 2b) God will stop all the groaning caused by the Babylonians. a) When Babylon became a world power she caused great groanings among the nations she captured. Her defeat and that of her king have already been covered in chapter 14. b) So, there is an historical element here, though it comes in a difficult context. (1) From the vantage point of 710 BC, Isaiah is predicting that the yet future Babylon would herself be defeated and the groanings she has caused will cease. (2) But we might also look at the eschatological Babylon—the one referred to in Revelation 17—18. This is the Babylon that has led the entire world astray and into idolatry. This even yet future Babylon will be judged and destroyed just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. (3) So in effect, Isaiah can possibly be talking about the ultimate cessation of groanings that Babylon, as Satan’s headquarters has caused all the nations of the world. (4) If this interpretation is correct, then in Babylon (historically) one finds the headquarters of Satan’s kingdom and the embodiment of the rebellion against God both in heaven and on earth. The defeat of Babylon would ultimately be not just an earthly event, but would be a cosmic one as well.

5. (vs. 3‐4) It is the voice of Isaiah the prophet speaking in verses 3‐4. He is reacting with deep emotions to the judgment of Babylon about to come. a) I believe the depth of the prophet’s despair cannot come simply from the defeat of the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC at the hands of Cyrus. There is too much emotion here for that. b) It makes more sense that the prophet is responding to the coming cosmic judgment of Satan and all the nations of the world that he has led astray. This is not a point I can push or prove, but these are highly emotionally charged verses that just make much more sense if Isaiah is looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ.

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6. (vs. 5) The prophecy looks forward most likely to the actual fall of Babylon in 539 BC as described in Daniel 5.

ESV Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.

7. (vs. 6‐9) The focus shifts from Babylon to Judah a) The Lord commands Isaiah to set a watchman for the coming fall of Babylon. b) (vs. 9) This verse seems to me to be the clearest indication that much more is referenced in this prophetic burden than a cessation to the historical Babylonian Empire. John picks the same image up in the Revelation 14 and 18.

8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality." (Rev 14:8 ESV)

2 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." (Rev 18:2‐3 ESV)

8. (vs. 10) This verse can either be encouragement or warning to Judah. Perhaps it is both. a) To those who will be captive by Babylon in the 6th century BC, it is a word of encouragement that Babylon will fall.

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b) To those in the 8th century BC (Isaiah’s time), it is a word of warning not to trust in an empire that itself will fail. c) To those today, it is both encouragement that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, but it is also a word of warning for God’s people to come out of her.

C. (vs. 11‐12) Oracle against Edom (Dumah)

1. Dumah refers to the oasis in northern Arabia, standing “at the intersection of the east‐west trade route between the Persian Gulf and Petra and the incense route running northward from the Red Sea to Palmyra.”17

2. Dumah is in modern Saudi Arabia.

3. The point is that if Dumah is taken by an enemy, the trade route would be cut off.18

4. Though difficult to interpret, it may be that what this prophecy indicates is that Edom will look to Judah—to Isaiah as God’s prophet—to know their fate—Is the night over yet for them?

5. “This is the same note sounded again and again in the second half of the book: Israel’s God is superior to all others because, being sole creator of the world, he alone can explain his purposes for the future (41:21‐29; 42:5‐9; 44:6‐8; etc.).”19

6. The call to Edom is to “Return, come.” That is, repent. Again, there are echoes in the Revelation: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev 22:17 ESV)

D. (vs. 13‐17) Oracle against Arabia

1. These are Arabian allies of Babylon.

17 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 398.

18 Ibid.

19 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 399.

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a) Tema is 200 miles southeast of Dumah. It became the capital of Babylonian King Nabonidus during his self‐imposed exile from Babylon in 552 BC. b) Dedan is probably modern al_Ula, 90 miles southeast of Dumah. c) Both are in the region of “Kedar,” and all located in modern Saudi Arabia.

2. The Assyrians attacked Arabia from the north and displaced people (Tiglath‐pileser III, 738; Sargon II, 715 (possibly 710 also); Sennacherib, 703, 689.)20

3. (vs. 17) The most important point is that it is the God of Israel who has spoken. Israel’s God is the one true God who is in control of all the earth’s events.

E. Therefore, Israel should not trust in other nations for her protection.

1. Babylon will herself be defeated.

2. The Lord of Israel controls and knows all.

3. Babylon’s allies will all be defeated.

4. So the only one Judah should trust as her defense against Assyria (back to the 8th century setting of Isaiah) is the Lord.

VII. (Chapter 22) Warning of destruction of Jerusalem

A. (22:1‐14) Warning of coming destruction of Jerusalem

1. Setting the passage in its historical context is a bit difficult. a) Many commentators place it around 701 BC when Sennacherib threatened Hezekiah who was holed up in Jerusalem.21 b) However, Hezekiah did trust in God, and the Bible does not indicate a siege actually took place around the city of Jerusalem.

“The reference to flight and captivity in vv. 2b and 3 actually fits the times of Jehoiachin (2 K. 24:10‐17) or Zedekiah (2 K. 25:4‐7) better than they do Hezekiah’s. Finally, Eliakim, not , was

20 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 402.

21 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 407‐8.

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steward in 701 (2 K. 18:37). Thus it may be that the event referred to had occurred during Sargon’s attack on Ashdod in 711. On balance, this latter position seems more likely. The Assyrian army took Azekah, which certainly must have looked ominous to the Judeans, but then left. What a cause for rejoicing and revelry: ‘Isaiah was wrong. Babylon was right. We need not fear Assyria.’ Isaiah responds that that kind of blindness will lead to a destruction which would be more complete than anything they could imagine (and as it would turn out, at the hands of the very Babylon to which they were then tempted to turn for help against Assyria, should she return).”22

2. (vs. 1‐4) In other words, Isaiah is charging that the people of Jerusalem were ignoring the present realities of the Assyrian threat. a) The Lord had slain 185,000 Assyrians, which caused Sennacherib to return home without capturing Jerusalem (2 Kings 19). The citizens of Jerusalem would have celebrated. What they could not see was the imminent coming of the Babylonians. b) The prophet Jeremiah in the next century would have a similar difficulty convincing the leadership of Jerusalem of the severity of the Babylonian threat. The people were completely hardened in their rebellion. c) Ultimately, what Isaiah is doing is he’s giving a prophetic utterance referring to Jerusalem’s complete destruction in 586 BC under the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar, but he sets that utterance within his own historical context of an unspecified event in 711 BC (during the time of the Assyrians—perhaps Sargon’s defeat of Ashdod).

3. (vs. 5‐8a) Jerusalem lies helpless before attacking enemies, which is no cause for rejoicing. Jerusalem would be eminently destroyed and the celebrations would become terror.

4. (vs. 8b‐14) Isaiah moves now toward indictment against Jerusalem. a) With the setting probably 701 BC when Assyrian Sennacherib threatened Hezekiah in Jerusalem, the King and city makes preparation to protect the water supply. Hezekiah has a tunnel built so that water continues to flow to the city without having to leave the city gates.

22 Ibid.

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b) Hezekiah dug a tunnel under the old city of Jerusalem that connected the spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley to the . c) The city then begins to demolish certain buildings in order to enforce and repair the existing walls. d) (vs. 11) Yet, they did not look to the Maker. Judah was content and looking to her own defense rather than trusting in the Lord. As events ultimately unfolded, however, Hezekiah would trust the Lord for the city’s protection. e) (vs. 12‐14) This lack of faith in the face of a sovereign God was sin that would not be atoned. “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” displays a complete lack of faith in the Lord’s deliverance. What is lacking is a change of heart, not more effort for defense.

B. (22:15‐25) Shebna the steward is found incompetent and serves as an illustration that portrays the entire city.

1. (vs. 15‐19) Steward Shebna is found to be incompetent and self‐serving

“…[T]his segment serves to particularize the statements made concerning the nation in vv. 1‐14. Just as the nation had blinded itself in the face of death, choosing revelry instead of repentance, so this individual Judean, a high‐office holder, has betrayed his office by attempting to memorialize himself in a lofty tomb. When he should be acting in the interests of his people, formulating far‐seeing policies which will take all the factors, including God’s word, into account, he is instead looking only to the immediate future and only as it bears on him. As a result, says Isaiah with biting words, God will toss them aside like a filthy rag and give his office to another, who will truly act as a father to the people, who will be trustworthy and dependable. But even that man will not be able to save the nation single‐handedly; ultimately the accumulated weight will pull him down in keeping with v. 14. The sin of the nation, its blindness, is such that one sided man will be an adequate turn it from its blundering path.”23

2. (vs. 20‐25) Eliakim will be given the throne of David a) Eliakim is Shebna’s successor—probably finance minister or governor under King Hezekiah. b) Notice Eliakim is called “my servant,” which was a title given to Isaiah (20:3), to Israel (40—55; 65—66), and to the Suffering Servant.

23 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 416.

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c) Eliakim will be as a father to the people as a government official should. d) (vs. 25) However, even that will not be enough. Judah will be cut off.

VIII. (Chapter 23) Oracle against Tyre

A. End of the nation oracles—Tyre and Babylon as eschatological and cosmic bookends

1. The nation oracles began with Babylon, the great city in the east. They now end with Tyre, the great city in the west.

2. Tyre is a Phoenician city; and the Phoenicians were known as seafarers who colonized much of the Mediterranean basin. a) They became “the preeminent seafarers” and “fabulously wealthy.” b) “Babylon’s greatest lay in her glory, the list of her achievements and accomplishments, or sophistication and culture. Tyre did not have all of that, but she did have her wealth and her vast maritime contacts. So between the two of them, Babylon and Tyre summed up from east to west all that the world of that day—and this—thought was significant.

3. Tyre is being used her in a broader, representative way. a) That is a critical observation especially if Babylon and Tyre have overtones of the cosmic battles between the armies of heaven and Satan’s host. b) Compare both (King of Babylon) and (King of Tyre)

4. John’s Revelation uses the language here applied to Tyre to describe Babylon as the great world‐city.

“Just as it was difficult to pin down the precise historical events to which ch. 13 may have been referring, so also it is with this chapter. So much similar are the two chapters that the book of Revelation uses the language here applied to Tyre to describe the great world‐city Babylon (Rev. 18:11–24). All these factors lead to the conclusion that Tyre here, like Babylon at the beginning, is used in a representative way.”24

24 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 427.

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5. Therefore, Tyre and Babylon function is great eschatological and cosmological bookends in the nation oracles. One must not miss the cosmic overtones.

B. (23:1‐18) Overthrow and restoration of Tyre

1. (vs. 1‐14) Overthrow of Tyre a) (vs. 1) “Kittim” is Cyprus and the city of Kition (“This reference is almost certainly to the Mycenean population of at least the northeastern portions of the Mediterranean Sea.”)25 b) (vs. 4) The reference to the “sea” in this verse is to “Yam,” the Canaanite god of the sea. As such, it strengthens the contention that this prophecy is not simply talking about the destruction of an earthly city, but it incorporates the demonic battles in the cosmos. (c.f. Deuteronomy 32:8) c) The important point is that the Lord of Israel is the Sovereign God who is controlling all of these events, not just over the nations of the earth, but in the heavenlies as well. Therefore, Judah should trust only in Him. This has been Isaiah’s consistent theme.

2. (vs. 15‐18) Restoration of Tyre a) Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years b) Though she will continue to prostitute herself among the nations, the Lord will capture her wealth for the benefit of His own people.

C. So, Judah should trust in no one except the Lord.

“If the glory of the nations (chs. 13 and 14) is nothing; if the scheming of the nations (chs. 14‐18) is nothing; if the wisdom of the nations (chs. 19‐ 20) is nothing; if the vision of the nation (chs. 21, 22) is nothing; if the wealth of the nations (ch. 23) is nothing, then the question is: why trust the nations? The answer is clear: There is no reason to do so.”

25 Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1‐39, 429.

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