Isaiah 27:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.

NIV: I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.

NASB: I have no wrath. Should someone give Me briars and thorns in battle, Then I would step on them, I would burn them completely.

CSB: I am not angry. If only there were thorns and briers for me to battle, I would trample them and burn them to the ground.

NLT: My anger will be gone. If I find briers and thorns growing, I will attack them; I will burn them up —

KJV: Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

NKJV: Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

This song of the vineyard (Isaiah 27:2–3) opens with the best news imaginable: The Lord's wrath against His people Israel has been completely satisfied. It is over, resolved, and put away. The Lord now abundantly provides for His people in every possible way. This is the future of God's relationship with His people when He reigns as king on the earth.

This was not the pattern of Israel's history. Isaiah's previous vineyard song (Isaiah 5:1–7) expressed something dire. Israel lived in unfaithfulness to the Lord, breaking their covenant with Him. He poured out His wrath on them: removing His protection and withholding what they needed to thrive (Judges 2:16–19). In Isaiah's time, that took the form of the Assyrian invaders. Eventually, it also included conquest under Babylon.

So, what changed? Did Israel finally succeed in being fully and continually faithful to the Lord so that His wrath just went away? Not at all. Israel continued to sin against the Lord, as every human person does. We all deserve to experience the consequences of provoking God's anger with our sin (Romans 6:23).

Yet, the Lord's wrath has been satisfied by Jesus, Who endured it (Hebrews 12:2) on behalf of all who receive God's grace and forgiveness through faith in Christ (Ephesians 1:7). Paul put it this way:

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8–10).

Although Israel has experienced His wrath, the Lord still passionately loves His people. He is eager to defend them. He expresses this by describing how He would—and will—respond to the enemies that grow within the "vineyard" itself. These are not invaders, however. The Lord has already brought justice and peace to the earth at this future time. Israel's enemies are all defeated. They live in peace with the Lord as their king. Yet even in that peace, some will rebel against God (Revelation 20:7–10).

This passage often uses the phrase "in that day" referring to the end times when the Lord reigns on earth as king. Then, the Israelites will be fully restored. Their "fruit" will fill the world. The nations God used as tools to judge His people will themselves be judged, but much more harshly. Defeats will happen in the meantime, but the Lord will only measure out enough discipline to trigger Israel's repentance. There will be no compassion for those who refuse to repent. He will bring all His people home to worship Him in Jerusalem in the end.

Isaiah 27 completes a section (Isaiah 24—27) about the time when the Lord will make all things right. That description begins with the Lord's judgment of the earth (Isaiah 24:1) and ends with the redemption and restoration of Israel (Isaiah 27:6). The nations God used to judge Israel will themselves be judged. The next section of Isaiah focuses on God's scathing words for those who opposed Him, including the failed leaders of Israel and Judah.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).