The Book of Isaiah- Isa.1:27-31

And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed (vv.27-28)”.
We have an idea of redemption in the following chapter. “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem(Is.2:3,2).” Millennial Reign of the Messiah signifies spiritual redemption of the Jews and the Gentiles under Jesus Christ. We also have a redemption in terms of theocratic form of government (Is.11:10). He will ‘magnify the law …(Is.42:21)’ meaning that provisions of laws shall be implemented in spirit and to the letter.Prophesies as always point to immediate and also of latter days. In this context we could anticipate the Babylonian captivity and the day of Lord.

“For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water (vv.29-30)”.
Trees were viewed as sacred in terms of their use and among the Vikings pine-tree and its oil were used in shipbuilding; In primitive cosmogony these were held in no less special. Yggdarsil(Odin’s horse) in Nordic folklore carried nine worlds; Oaks were special for the druids. In Isaiah’s time ‘oak’ simply meant as a sacred tree a symbol of the starry hosts, Saba. Garden is associated with pagan cultis –planted enclosure for idolatry. Compare this with the garden of Eden.
Another meaning could be taken and it has to do with Bashan that is situated east of Jordan, north of the river Jabbok, famous for fine oaks, pasture, and cattle. Perhaps Judah viewed groves of Bashan superior to what were found in the environs.
‘as a garden that hath no water’ Man in his corrupt mind makes idols and his prayer to them is a folly. It is his handiwork and his prayer for rain shall fail.Compare his case with the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord. Ps.1:3 He is like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
Whatsoever man has sought by disregarding God’s commandments shall prove as stumbling block. “They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs with wealth, for it became the stumbling block that brought their iniquity.(Ez.7:19;Pro.11:4)

“And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them(v.31) .
A similar idea we have from this verse, “An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength (Ps.33:17,16). The Lord God is our everlasting refuge and Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd has assured us, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand (Jn.10:28-30).


About bennythomas

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