God is almighty. In His eyes, a thousand years are no more than a day (Psalm 90:4). Equipped with this time-scale, we can easily understand what the prophet intended to convey.
Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? (Isaiah 29:17)
Though such transformations will take ages, in the eyes of God, it is but a very little while.
What was the context for Isaiah to make such a claim? Verse 17 is a rhetoric question. What led the prophet to utter this question?
Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? (Isaiah 29:17)
Though such transformations will take ages, in the eyes of God, it is but a very little while.
What was the context for Isaiah to make such a claim? Verse 17 is a rhetoric question. What led the prophet to utter this question?
Immediately before are verses 15-16. They read
Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? (Isaiah 29:15-16)
Therefore, verse 17 attempts to answer the 2 previous sets of rhetorical questions.
To those evil doers, verse 17 answers them that God sees. God knows.
To those arrogant atheists who deny God's creation, verse 17 answers with style. Some evolution molecular biologists claim that given enough time, evolution through random mutation is able to produce man on earth. Verse 17 answers that in God's eyes, these millions of years are just a very little while.
Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? (Isaiah 29:15-16)
Therefore, verse 17 attempts to answer the 2 previous sets of rhetorical questions.
To those evil doers, verse 17 answers them that God sees. God knows.
To those arrogant atheists who deny God's creation, verse 17 answers with style. Some evolution molecular biologists claim that given enough time, evolution through random mutation is able to produce man on earth. Verse 17 answers that in God's eyes, these millions of years are just a very little while.
If God's creatures do not answer God's call appropriately, what would God do? God would work harder to win them over.
And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;
therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:13-14).
Functionally speaking, verses 15-17 is an expanded version of verse 13, and verses 18-21 that of verse 14.
What will the consequences be of not being authentic (verse 13)? Their minds will turn perverse. Their faith in God turns sour (verses 15-16).
God would work even harder to show His mercy but when they continued to fail, only then would God punish them (verse 14)?
God would do wonderful and marvelous things, making the deaf hear and the blind see. God would stand by the disadvantaged (verse 19) and restore justice by defeating the plan of the wicked (verses 20-21). Isaiah was very much concerned with justice. He was able to see the causal relationship between justice and peace. Without justice, peace will not continue.
And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;
therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:13-14).
Functionally speaking, verses 15-17 is an expanded version of verse 13, and verses 18-21 that of verse 14.
What will the consequences be of not being authentic (verse 13)? Their minds will turn perverse. Their faith in God turns sour (verses 15-16).
God would work even harder to show His mercy but when they continued to fail, only then would God punish them (verse 14)?
God would do wonderful and marvelous things, making the deaf hear and the blind see. God would stand by the disadvantaged (verse 19) and restore justice by defeating the plan of the wicked (verses 20-21). Isaiah was very much concerned with justice. He was able to see the causal relationship between justice and peace. Without justice, peace will not continue.
Dear Lord, You have been so kind to us. If we fail, You give us a hand. If we sin, You love us even more. O, what is man that You should be mindful of him, and the son of man that You do care for him? (Psalm 8:4) Amen.
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