God’s Impending Judgement (Isaiah 28:1-33:24)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
In March of 2020, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. There was still not enough information on how serious and infectious the virus was. But on 3 April 2020, our government made clear the gravity of the situation and announced that a circuit breaker lockdown would be enforced within a few days.
What was your initial response to the announcement? Did you continue with your daily routine or did you begin to make preparations? Many made a beeline for the supermarket, filling carts with instant noodles and canned food. Others went to the pharmacy to buy masks and medication. Those who delayed preparations by just a few hours entered supermarkets and pharmacies with empty shelves. I’m not sure if any of us envisioned the day when toilet paper would be sold out.
When we receive important information from a reputable source like the government, it is in our interest to act on it. Being skeptical or slow to respond ends up costing us. Similarly, we should pay attention to whatever God says. The Lord is the most credible, and reliable source in the world. He is the Almighty God who holds the universe in His hands. Thus when He speaks, we should listen. When He warns us of danger, we should pay attention.
Judgement and destruction await those who ignore God and persist in sin, whilst salvation and blessings are given to those who listen to God. This is what our sermon text communicates.
Let me give you a brief overview of Isaiah 28-33. Isaiah 28-33 are set during the late eighth century B.C. The Assyrians had ambitious plans and were threatening the region. Both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah responded by forming military alliances with other nations like Egypt. It is under these circumstances that the prophet Isaiah addresses the people.
In Isaiah 28 and 29, Isaiah warns the people that the Assyrian invasion is unavoidable. This is because the Lord is the one who has given Assyria victory. The Lord is the one who has allowed Assyria to inflict His people. Isaiah describes in vivid detail how the Assyrians will invade their land and swiftly crush them. The capital of Israel shall be no more and Jerusalem shall be besieged.
Isaiah explains to the people in Isaiah 28-31 why they were deserving of God’s judgement. They had tolerated false prophets and despised His Word. They had worshipped God with their lips whilst rejecting Him in their hearts. They had put their trust in horses and chariots rather than in the living God. Instead of waiting on the Lord for salvation, they gave gifts to their former oppressor, believing that Pharaoh would protect them from the Assyrians.
Although a large part of Isaiah 28-33 detail the sins of the people and the judgment they shall experience, there are also sections of hope. The Lord emphasizes His grace and urges His rebellious children to return to Him. He offers them a way to escape judgement. God declares His power to defeat Assyria and gives His people glimpses of the life they can enjoy if they turn to Him. God is preparing a new and better city where people can dwell in peace and be free of sickness and iniquity.
Hence the big idea of Isaiah 28-33 is God’s judgement is coming, so turn to Him for salvation and a glorious future. Today’s sermon has three sections:
Sins that incite God’s wrath
Rejection of God’s Word (Isa 28:7-10, 30:8-11)
Practicing false religion (Isa 29:13-16)
Refusal to trust God (Isa 30:1-2, 31:1)
A preview of God’s judgement
Destruction (Isa 28:1-4)
Disappointment (Isa 28:18-21)
Dullness of heart (Isa 29:9-12)
Reasons to turn to God today
The Lord is mighty to save (Isa 29:5-8, 33:2)
The Lord is gracious (Isa 30:18-26)
The Lord offers a glorious future (Isa 33:16-24)
Sins that incite God’s wrath
Sometimes when bad things happen, people attribute it to bad luck. But the prophet Isaiah gives the people of Israel and Judah no excuse to say they are very unlucky. In Isaiah 28-31, Isaiah calls out the sins of Israel and Judah that had incited God’s wrath.
The first sin is the rejection of God’s Word. In Isaiah 28:7-10, the priests were given the sacred task of upholding the holiness of God and helping the people be holy as God is holy. The prophets were supposed to be God’s mouthpiece, communicating His Word faithfully. They were tasked to call people to repentance and exhort them to walk faithfully before the Lord.
Instead, Isaiah laments that the priests and prophets had failed in their duties. They lacked spiritual sight and stumbled in giving judgment. Like drunkards, they could not comprehend God’s objective truths and were unable to teach faithfully. The fruit of their labour was filthy vomit. The people were not receiving God’s truths and were deep in sin.
The unfaithful prophets were not even fit to teach babies. Hence Isaiah mimics them sprouting nonsense by repeating three Hebrew words. So instead of translating the Hebrew words into English as precept, line and little, it would have been better if we had the transliteration. That way Isaiah 28:10 would sound like baby talk when the false prophets said “savlesav sav lesav, kie lekie kie lekie, zir sham zir sham”.
But even more troubling than having priests and prophets who acted like drunkards and babbled like babies is having people who would tolerate and listen to them. The people did not remove unholy priests from service. They did not punish the prophets who spewed lies. Instead, they were relieved that the priests and prophets had stopped teaching them God’s truths, as written about in Isaiah 30:8-11.
King David had once shown the people the importance of God’s Word in Psalm 119. He had taught the people to say “give me life according to your word!” But generations later, the people were no longer interested in God’s Word. They did not believe that God’s Word gives life. They did not believe that the one who meditates on God’s word is blessed. They did not believe that God’s word was relevant to their situation. Instead, they began to view God’s Word as cumbersome. It was holding them back from doing what they wanted. They found it “judgy” when it condemned their sinful practices. They found it unhelpful when it did not give them what they wanted.
Hence they chose seers and prophets who were far from the Lord and willing to speak the untruths that they wanted to hear. They wanted the prophets to affirm their agenda rather than warn them of God’s judgement. They outrightly said, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. Hence, they incited God’s wrath.
Friends, what is your attitude towards God’s Word? Do you desire to study God’s Word or are you afraid of what God might say about your current priorities or choices? Do you receive God’s Word with humility or repackage it to suit your liking? Do we allow God’s Word to shape our ministry practices at church or insist on our preferences and values?
Let us not be selective about which parts of Scripture we are willing to accept. Let us be careful not to find counsel from those who will tell us what we want to hear. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us a hunger for God’s Word and faith to apply it with joy.
The second sin is practicing false religion. Let us read Isaiah 29:13-16. Externally, Judah appeared religious. They faithfully observed the sacrifices and festivals. With their mouths they praised God. But internally, their hearts were far from God. They had participated in religious activities only because they were told to do so. Hence God despised their worship. They were hypocrites who wanted to give the impression that they were right with God when in fact they were far away. They had bad theology too. They did not believe that God was all knowing. And so they tried to hide their evil deeds from the Lord. Whilst they worshipped God externally, they secretly rejected God as their Creator.
Whilst they listened to the public reading of Scripture, they secretly despised God’s wisdom. They were professional hypocrites. On the outside, they appeared religious, yet inwardly they had long abandoned the Lord. Hence, they incited God’s wrath.
Friends, it is good to consider the reason or motive behind our Christian activities. Do you attend church because of pressure or because you genuinely love God? Do you sing or give or serve because of the image you want to portray or because your heart is filled with thankfulness?
God cares more about our heart than about what we can do. So let us ensure we have a right relationship with the Lord. Let the love of Christ and the forgiveness and blessings we have received from God be the reason for our worship and service. Let us love the Lord and His church because He first loved us.
The third sin is a refusal to trust God, as we see from Isaiah 30:1-2 and Isaiah 31:1. Egypt was a formidable kingdom, perhaps second to Assyria in might. Unlike Judah, Egypt had an impressive army. They had horses and chariots which could decimate foot soldiers. Basically, Egypt had a superior army that could deter or even defeat the Assyrians.
Hence the world probably saw Judah’s alliance with Egypt as logical or even clever. Much in the way smaller nations today have been securing their future by forming alliances with America or China.
But the problem Isaiah raises in Isaiah 31:3 is that Judah had forgotten who the Lord is. He is not just a man like Pharaoh. The Lord is the Holy One of Israel. He is wise and powerful. When He stretches out His hand, everyone falls. Given how the Lord had once rescued their ancestors from Egypt, this was quite a slap in the face.
Previously, God had led His people out of slavery and given them the Egyptians’ treasures. But now, Judah was taking treasure from the Promised Land and hauling it back to Egypt.
Previously, God had demonstrated through the Ten Plagues that He was more powerful than all the Egyptian gods. But now, Judah told the world through their actions that God is useless. Their alliance told everyone that the Egyptian gods are better. Hence, they incited God’s wrath.
Friends, what do your choices reveal about who you are really trusting in?
Consider the horses and chariots you are trusting in for security or counting on for your future.
Perhaps you find peace in knowing that you have amassed a certain amount of savings or have obtained a good grade in school or hold a high position at work, or have a loving family or a reliable friend.
These things are in of itself not bad. They are good things to have. But we need to recognize that they are temporal and are limited in what they offer. Money cannot buy things like good health and love. Further at the rate inflation has been growing, our hard-earned savings may actually be losing its buying power. A good grade or promotion at work may come at the cost of a relationship, but it will never fully satisfy us. Even our best friend or family may not always be there in an emergency.
There was once I checked my phone after a meeting to find 4 missed calls from the school office. My son was not feeling well and reached out to me for help, but in my busyness, I had failed him.
Horses and chariots can offer some level of security and may even help us achieve certain goals. But they are limited in might, temporal and not always dependable.
In contrast, we see who God is in Isaiah 40:28b-31: “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
So let us be wise and put our trust in God. He is our Creator and Heavenly Father. He deserves our devotion and adoration. He will never fail us.
In the next section Isaiah explains the consequences of sinning against the Holy One of Israel. God will judge his people for rejecting His Word, practicing false religion, and refusing to trust Him.
A preview of God’s judgment
One day when I was in secondary school, lessons were paused and everyone assembled in the auditorium. The principal stood on stage with a student and informed everyone that the teenager had committed a serious offense. A PE teacher then came up to administer a public caning. I vividly remember the teacher sprinting across the stage and swinging his arm to administer the first stroke of the cane. It was a clear and effective warning to everyone as there were no other public canings for the rest of my time in school.
Similarly, Isaiah prophecies in great detail the judgment that is coming upon Israel and Judah with the hope that they would repent.
Firstly, there will be great destruction. Let’s read Isaiah 28:1-4.
Ephraim, which is another name for the northern kingdom of Israel, was proud of their capital city. Samaria was their crown jewel. But Isaiah warns them the Lord has appointed a mighty and strong nation to destroy Samaria. The Assyrians will be like a mighty storm that covers the land with overflowing waters. Israel will disappear in the same way that someone swallows a ripe fig.
This imagery communicates great and sudden destruction. One moment people are going on life as usual. They have a home to live in, a school to attend, a business to run, a place to socialize, a city to enjoy. But the next moment, everything is gone. No home, no office, no city. Life is suddenly brought to a standstill. All that is left is rubble.
Secondly, there will be great disappointment, as we read from Isaiah 28:18-21. Judah felt secure because of their alliance with Egypt. But God warns them that on the day that they need help, Egypt will be a no show. They will feel great disappointment that Egypt had played them out. They will feel cheated that they had given so many gifts to Egypt for nothing.
Such is the deceit of trusting in anything other than the Lord. At the outset, people, conventional wisdom, and even idols may seem to offer the security that we long for. But when the moment of truth arrives, they fail us. We end up being worse off than before.
This is what Isaiah 28:21 says. Since Judah turned to Egypt, God will become their enemy. Instead of fighting for his people as he did at Mt Perazim and the valley of Gibeon, the Lord will now fight against His people.
Thirdly, God will dull the hearts of sinners. Let us read Isaiah 29:9-12.
The ability to understand God’s Word is a gift. It should not be taken for granted. Hence one of God’s judgements on those who reject His truths is to dull their hearts. The Lord will strike them with spiritual blindness. He will withhold His truths from the religious leaders. Those under judgement will be unable to read and understand God’s Word.
We see this judgement in the New Testament as well. Jesus spoke in parables at times so that only those with ears will hear. Those who had hardened hearts would not be given the privilege of understanding and receiving the Gospel that gives life.
What aspects of God’s judgement are you most afraid of? Are you troubled by the physical destruction that God’s judgement will bring? That in a flash God can destroy whatever you presently hold dear? Can you envision everything in Singapore being razed to the ground? Are you anxious about the disappointment you will experience when the horses and chariots you are trusting in fail? Are you worried that your plans might actually fail? Are you concerned that God will veil His truths from you? That you will not be able to understand God’s Word and will make foolish choices?
God’s judgement is something we should not be ambivalent about. Those who experience God’s judgement will suffer greatly. Thus it should be avoided at all cost. It should lead us to seek a way out.
The good news is, God also desires us to escape His judgement.
Let us look at our third division — reasons to turn to God today.
Reasons to turn to God today
God graciously gives us three reasons to turn to Him. Firstly, the Lord is mighty to save. Although the Assyrians have been described as an unstoppable force, the Lord declares that He has the power to protect His people, as we will read in Isaiah 29:5-8.
Even though the Assyrian army was overwhelmingly large, God says that in an instant He can appear and stop their attack. It would be like Judah going to sleep with the threat of Assyria looming over their heads. But the moment they wake up, the threat is gone.
This might sound unrealistic, but is actually what took place in history. In Isaiah 37, we learn that Assyrians had encamped outside Jerusalem. King Hezekiah prayed to God and the Lord assured him that he would defend the city. The angel of the Lord then went to the Assyrian camp and struck down 185,000 soldiers. The Lord is mighty to save. He can deliver His people from any trouble.
Is there an impossible situation that you are presently going through? A trial that is too much to bear? I encourage you to pray Isaiah 33:2, “O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.”
Because God is all powerful, we can simply wait on Him for deliverance. We can trust Him to see us through this dark period. Waiting is not doing nothing. It is not laziness. It is not a lack of intelligence. For believers, waiting is an exercise of faith in God. It is the expression of an earnest belief that God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is no greater being than God.
It is a reflection of one’s relationship with the Almighty, believing that we are His children. He shall not abandon us. Like a lion guarding his den, the Lord will guard His people. Like a bird circling his nest protectively, the Lord will not abandon His people.
Hence waiting on God is a picture of strength, of resolute faith that God will save us from this present evil age. God will be our arm every morning. Even when we dare not wake because of fear of what the day might bring, and even when we feel too weak in the knees to stand, we are assured that God will be our strength. His arm will uphold us as a strong man supports a frail person who cannot stand.
Secondly, the Lord is gracious as Isaiah 30:18-19 writes. Although God is vexed with Judah for being such ungrateful and treacherous children, yet His love towards them is truly steadfast, waiting for them to repent so that He can show them mercy.
Isaiah 30:19-26 says that God will hear the cries of his people and answer them in their distress. Although the Lord must discipline them for their sins, He will not forsake them. He will once again be their Teacher and lead them. He will cause His children to see their folly so that they will defile their idols and turn back to Him. God will give His people rain for their crops and their livestock will flourish. Most importantly, the end of Isaiah 30:26 says that the Lord binds up the brokenness of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow.
Friends, isn’t it amazing that such a great God acts towards us like a father who bears with stubborn children?
In most religions, gods are emotionless and are never described as longsuffering and tender like a parent. But the Christian God is different. Instead of striking His rebellious children in anger, He lovingly seeks to correct their sins. He neither sweeps their errors under the rug nor does He crush His children. He points out our sins, explains the folly and urges us to return to Him in trust and obedience. What a great example of parenting, and what great reason to turn to God rather than ignore Him in our troubles.
God waits to be gracious to us. Although He is saddened that we have turned our backs on Him like the prodigal son, He graciously wait for us to come to our senses. God desires us to see the folly of despising His word and trusting in horses and chariots.
The Lord graciously invites us to trust in Him, to find security in Him, to worry less, knowing that He is watching over us. To be less anxious, knowing that He will provide as He provides daily for the birds in the sky, to rest from our labours, knowing that He has provided salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.
And even as we walk through a dark valley, God promises to hear our cries, wipe away our tears, be our guide to lead us in paths of righteousness, to bless the fruit of our labours. So let us not delay turning back to God today.
Do not let the devil trick you into thinking that you are too sinful for the Lord to forgive. Some of us may still be ashamed of our past and hence we may still be keeping God at arm’s length, wondering if He will ever accept us.
But listen to the depth of God’s grace. Although Isaiah 30:8 says that the sins of His people have been written on stone tablets, God has not given up. God waits to be gracious. In fact, God has already sent His Son to be our Saviour. Jesus willingly takes upon Himself our sins so that He can take away our guilt and shame. Through Jesus, the tablets our sins have been written on are broken. Jesus clothes us in His righteousness so that God will look upon us with favour.
If you are not yet a believer, I invite you to experience God’s grace today. Come and find rest in God. Let God wipe away your tears and fill you with His love. Let Jesus remove your guilty stains and heal your wounds. Please talk to us after service. We will love to get you a coffee and answer your questions.
Thirdly, The Lord offers a glorious future. God not only wants us to turn to Him for salvation, but to walk in His ways because He will give us a glorious future. Let’s read about this future in Isaiah 33:16-24.
This passage tells us 5 things about the future God offers. Firstly, God promises to give His people a safe city to dwell in. They will feel like they are living in a fortress of rocks. The city will be strategically located so no enemy ships can sail near it and attack. There won’t even be any formidable foes to worry about.
At the time Isaiah was communicating this prophecy, the people had been forced into paying the Assyrians tribute. Their overlords would come regularly to collect payment and harass them. They would speak ill of Judah in their own language. Each visit reminded the people of their inferiority and the threat of being attacked.
But God promises a day when there will be no more oppression. No more tribute and no more mocking. In a reversal of events, the enemy will be plundered. Even a lame person will be able to overcome the enemy. In short, God will provide an immovable city for His people to dwell securely. Those who live in God’s city can enjoy His feasts and live untroubled lives. There will be peace and joy.
Secondly, God promises to provide for His people. Bread will be given; water will be sure. In the same way their forefathers never had to worry about starving during the exodus, so God promises to take care of His people’s needs for eternity. In fact, God will provide abundantly. Together they shall fellowship and enjoy the appointed feasts.
Thirdly, God promises that we shall behold the king in His beauty. Presently, we have imperfect people leading us. Every king and every Prime Minister has strengths and weaknesses. There are aspects of their leadership that we like and aspects that frustrate us. But God says that He will be the perfect king. One who rules with justice. One who gives good laws. One who judges with equity. One who is clothed in majesty. One whose dominion shall have no end.
Fourthly, God promises freedom from illnesses. One of the great frustrations in life are illnesses. Those of us who have young children are often weary of kids falling sick. Those of us who are older are discouraged when we see the results of our health screening. One more medication to take, one more procedure to undergo. We are grieved when we see our love ones in pain, when they stop remembering things because of dementia or face mobility issues. Isn’t it wonderful to know that no inhabitant in God’s city will say “I am sick”?
God does not just promise healing, but promises that there shall be no more illnesses. If there are no more illnesses, then there shall be no more causes for death. God promises eternal life.
Fifthly, God promises complete forgiveness. Although the Assyrian threat weighed heavy, Isaiah points out that the biggest problem people face is sin. It is because of sin that things are broken. It is because of sin that we experience sickness and death. It is because of sin that we have conflict with one another. It is because of sin that we rebel against the Lord and come under His judgement.
Hence Isaiah 33:24 contains the most important promise that we need to hear. God will forgive iniquity. He will pardon sin.
2000 years ago, Jesus came from heaven to fulfill this promise. Jesus took upon himself our sins and bore the wrath of God on our behalf. This is why we can receive forgiveness of sins when we put their faith in Jesus. Because Jesus has paid it all, God counts not our sins.
And if we know that God has fulfilled the most important promise in Isaiah 33, then we should have complete confidence that God will fulfill His other promises.
Therefore, there’s no need to be anxious about tomorrow. God has it all planned out for us. We just need to trust Him and wait upon Him to fulfill His wonderful promises.
After our Prime Minister announced the need for a nationwide circuit breaker, we were given only a few days to prepare. Yet we were able to stock up on supplies, make caregiving arrangements and transform our homes into offices and classrooms.
Therefore, we should recognize how gracious God is to warn us of what is to come and give us more than enough time to respond. God has explained clearly the situation to us in Isaiah 28-33. His wrath is kindled against those who reject His Word, who practice false religion, who refuse to trust in Him despite all that He has done.
God also warns that He is holy and will surely punish sin. People will witness great destruction, experience great disappointment over their choices, and will have dull hearts that cannot comprehend His truths. At the same time, God graciously offer a way of escape.
He gives us three reasons to turn to him today. Firstly, He is mighty to save. He can deliver us from the trial we are currently going through. Secondly, He is gracious and invites us to turn to him even if we feel undeserving. Thirdly, He has prepared a glorious future for us. Through faith in Jesus, we will be forgiven of our sins and live with Him in paradise.
So will you repent of your sins and turn to God today? Will you call out to God for deliverance in your hour of need? Will you put your faith in Jesus and yearn for the day when we will be in paradise with God?
Let us pray.