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ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XVIII: God's Salvation For His People From His OWN Wrath's Destruction
(Isaiah 27:1-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. If we focus on the contrast between God's infinite righteousness and our great vulnerability to sin, we can be discouraged and think we are doomed to experience only God's punishment in our lives!
    2. To address this need, Isaiah 27:1-13 is a great encouragement to the believer as it was to Isaiah of old to anticipate God's future Kingdom in view of God's victory over His own wrath upon our sin (as follows)!
  2. God's Salvation For His People From His OWN Wrath's Destruction, Isaiah 27:1-13.
    1. Isaiah noted that God will conquer a great foe of His people, the enemy of harmful disorder, Isaiah 27:1:
      1. The "leviathan" God of Isaiah 27:1 was a mythical creature symbolizing the enemy of order in the universe, and it was used in the Ancient Near Eastern myths of origins during Isaiah's era, cf. Bruce K. Waltke, Creation and Chaos, Portland, Oregon: Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1974, p. 6-12; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1075-1076.
      2. This mythical creature God will figuratively slay in His preparation of His coming Kingdom, Isa. 27:1.
      3. [Note: We do not say Isaiah condoned paganism by referring to leviathan, and thus his prophecy is not divinely inspired as a critic of the Bible's divine inspiration might say; rather, "The problem . . . is not one of borrowed theology but one of borrowed imagery,'" R. B. Allen, "The Leviathan-Rahab-Dragon Motif in the Old Testament," (Unpublished Master's thesis, Dallas Theol. Seminary, 1968) as cited in Waltke, Ibid., p. 13-14. Isaiah borrowed mythical pagan imagery to reveal God's victory over the disorder that came from His judgment on Israel's sin, Isaiah 27:2-13!]
    2. Isaiah then detailed God's conquest of the enemy pictured as "leviathan," the enemy of disorder and a lack of blessing that resulted from God's judgment on mans' sin, Isaiah 27:2-13:
      1. In Isaiah 5:5-6, Isaiah had revealed that Israel's "wild grapes" of SIN had been punished by God's discipline via the Babylonian Captivity, the physical and social chaos this punishment had produced.
      2. Yet, Isaiah 27:2-6 predicted Israel in her Messianic Kingdom would produce "good wine," that of righteousness opposite her former "wild grapes" of sin so that God would give Israel orderly blessing:
        1. In the Messianic Kingdom, Israel will be fruitful as a vine unto the Lord, Isaiah 27:2.
        2. God will thus care for the development of Israel, His productive vine, Isaiah 27:3.
        3. God will not vent His wrath on Israel, but on those who wish to afflict her, His vine, Isaiah 27:4.
        4. However, those who repent of their opposition to Israel will experience God's kindness, Isaiah 27:5.
        5. Eventually, under such protection by God, Israel's influence will cover the whole earth, Isaiah 27:6.
      3. The reason for God's coming benevolent protection and blessing of Israel will be that God will have overcome Israel's sin, the evil that had led to the "leviathan" of disorder under God's wrath, 27:7-13:
        1. In the former Babylonian Captivity, God will have punished Israel for her sin, Isaiah 27:7-8, 10-11.
        2. Due to this divine discipline, the nation will have abandoned its idolatrous worship, Isaiah 27:9.
        3. In a renewed judgment, God will have winnowed people in the Great Tribulation trials so that Israel will be released to return to the land of Israel, Isaiah 27:12. The picture here is of God's judging an area of land to bring his people back into the land of Israel, Ibid., Bible Knowledge Com., O.T.
        4. These people, purged of rebellion against God, will return and worship God in Israel, 27:13.
Lesson: Isaiah revealed God's ATTITUDE toward the SINNER is NOT one of ANIMOSITY, but one of DESIRING to END His DISORDER-PRODUCING WRATH and BLESS him in FORGIVENESS!

Application: (1) God calls us to face and repent of our sin or God's DISCIPLINE will produce painful disorder in our experience. (2) However, God MUCH PREFERS that we know HE is WILLING and ABLE to SLAY the LEVIATHAN of CHAOS produced by His WRATH against our sin! (a) He longs for unbelievers to trust in Christ as Savior and be kept from the Leviathan of His eternal wrath in hell, John 3:16. (b) He longs for believers to confess their sins so as to be forgiven and enjoy His blessing of renewed fellowship with Him versus living unfruitful lives He must punish, 1 John 1:9. (c) He longs for us to rely on the Holy Spirit for godly living to enjoy His ORDERLY BLESSINGS, Gal. 5:16, 22-23.