THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Isaiah: Jahweh Is Salvation

Part XLIX: God's Promise Of A Blessed Transformation In Women In The Millennium

(Isaiah 32:9-20)

I. Introduction

A. After describing the blessed transformation that would occur in Judah's men in the Millennial Kingdom, Isaiah 32:9-20 predicted the same kind of transformation that would occur in Judah's women in that coming era.

B. We view that passage not only for its encouraging prophecy, but for the upright pattern it offers women today:

II. God's Promise Of A Blessed Transformation In Women In The Millennium, Isaiah 32:9-20.

A. Isaiah addressed Judah's women as "careless," having a false confidence in their security, Isa. 32:9; Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 1974, v. II, p. 392. God's prophet had found that appealing to Judah's men had not led them to repent, so he shifted to appeal to Judah's women who might more naturally sense danger, only to find them also unconcerned of impending judgment in living in a false sense of security, Ibid.

B. Thus, Isaiah foretold the judgment to begin that would shock Judah's women in particular, Isaiah 32:10-14:

1. In a year, the women who were naive "trusting ones" (batah, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 105), women trusting in false security, would tremble as the grape harvest failed, Isa. 32:10; Ibid., p, 394.

2. Thus, Isaiah called on Judah's careless women to mourn, shudder, strip themselves of their usual outer clothes and put on coarse sackcloth and to beat their breasts in cultural acts of mourning over the loss of the pleasant fields of the fruitful vine that would no longer produce the harvest they loved, Isa. 32:11-12.

3. In the place of fruitful vines would grow up thorns and thistles, and they would grow up even in their now joyous houses in their joyful city, a shock to women who dwelt contentedly in such homes, Isaiah 32:13.

4. Even the palace would be forsaken and the city deserted, the citadel and watchtower would be a wasteland for a very long time ('ad-'olam, lit. "until remotest time," Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 652; H. A. W., Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, v. II, p. 672-673), a joy of wild donkeys and a pasture for sheep, Is. 32:14 NIV.

C. Nevertheless, an end to such a hurtful devastation of their beloved homes would come when God's Spirit was poured out on the people of Judah from the Lord on high in the Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah 32:15a; 44:3b.

D. Isaiah 32:15b-18 then describes the effects of this spiritual transformation on Judah's people (as follows):

1. In contrast to the turning of Judah's vineyards into fields of thorns and thistles and their homes and cities into grazing places for animals, the coming of the Spirit would make the wilderness a fruitful field, and the fruitful field would become so luxuriantly overgrown that it would be considered a forest, Isaiah 32:15b.

2. At that time, justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness in the fruitful field (Isaiah 32:16 ESV), explaining that Judah's turn to righteousness will be augmented with God's abundant agricultural blessing.

3. The fruit of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness will be undisturbed quietness (shaqat, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1052-1053) and [true] trust, confidence (betah, noun form of the verb batah in v. 10 above, Ibid., B. D. B.) forever ('ad-'olam, "until eternity," Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., H. A. W., different meaning than in v. 14) versus the false security of Judah's current careless women, Isaiah 32:17 NIV.

4. Accordingly, God through Isaiah promised that His people would forever live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest versus the current insecure homes of Judah's women that were doomed for coming destruction and desertion in God's judgment, Isaiah 32:18.

E. However, before this Messianic era blessing would come judgment, and Isaiah in Isaiah 32:19 figuratively speaks of that judgment as hail that fells a forest and as the city that is brought low in a low place.

F. After the judgment, "agricultural productivity" will result with no associated sinful "rivalry over each other's grazing land," for the feet of the ox and donkey will range free in the Millennial Kingdom, Isaiah 32:20! (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1083) Righteousness in Judah's people will make for great divine blessing.

Lesson: The agricultural bounty and safe, comfortable, happy homes and towns so valued especially by women were to be lost by Judah's careless women who failed to repent of sin in Isaiah's era. However, after His judgment when God poured out His Spirit on all of Judah's people, these blessings would be abundantly and forever theirs.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved, John 3:16. (2) As women in particular, may we rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit for the production of true righteousness that God blesses with livelihood provisions, peace and security versus living in false righteousness and a false sense of security that God disciplines! (3) If we as women sense the need for repentance in surrounding family and friends, may we vigilantly warn them!