Isaiah 29 > Religion

Posted: 8/19/2007 2:19:50 PM EDT

First off, for those who wander in here from Active Topics, you're in the Religion Forum.... so poster beware.

Second, I'm not asking this for any other reason than curiosity and to understand what others are reading in this. This is a chapter I was reading today, and it got me thinking. I know many of us view the scriptures differently and I was curious. If you're only going to make trollish, self-righteous, or snide replies, please go away. I'm interested in how different people are interpreting God's word here. What do you believe God is talking about and saying in this particular chapter? Who is this passage referring to? Do you believe this chapter holds prophesies that have already come to pass, or have yet to come to pass? Why?

Disagreeing is fine, but please do so pleasantly.

Copied directly from the King James version on
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Isaiah 29
1Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

2Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

3And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

4And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

6Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

8It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

9Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

11And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

12And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

13Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

15Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

16Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

17Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

18And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

19The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

21That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

22Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Posted: 8/20/2007 3:53:14 AM EDT

[#1]

Doubting Christian here,

I used to think passages such as this had great meaning for the future. Now when I read it, I am not so sure. In fact, I find it hard to assign any prophetic meaning to it. Certainly, it is not a fulfilled prophecy. Maybe it is just a general warning akin to "the streets will flow with the blood of the nonbelievers". So much of what is written is done with a lens or filter of understanding of the times. Earthquakes for example are natural phenomenon. Ancient man did not understand the reasons behind the earthquake and considered it a "sign from God". A truly prophetic writing might say, for example, The inhabitants of the city will be vaporized. Or maybe the inhabitants will all be killed with lead projectiles. Or even, killed by men that commit suicide and explode. But that was beyond the understanding of ancient man.

So much of the bible is allegorical, I suppose passages such as this are much the same.

cujet

Posted: 8/20/2007 6:05:56 AM EDT

[#2]

But one day all the rocks will cry out......

Posted: 8/20/2007 6:23:09 AM EDT

[#3]

vs 1: Ariel is another name for Jerusalem.

vs 2-6 God says he will judge the city

vs 7-8 He will use the nations of the earth to bring forth judgment

vs 9-16 The reason for the punishment - they only give lip service to God. God has stopped revealing his truths to them.

v 17-24 But things will turn around. The deaf shall hear, and the blind shall see. Men will again take joy in the Lord and they will turn to Jesus Christ, the Holy One of Israel. The terrible one, the anti-christ is brought to nought. Jacob (which is the nation of Israel) will no longer be ashamed but fear the God of Israel once again. They shall come to understanding and learn doctrine.

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Isaiah 29

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Isaiah 29