Isaiah 17 - Printer Friendly

What does Isaiah 17 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

This chapter is another prophecy from the Lord regarding one of the nations which surrounded Israel. Here Isaiah focuses on an earlier time, as compared to events of the previous oracles. The prophecy transitions from Damascus and becomes about God's judgment and salvation of Israel.

Syria, also known as Aram, is north and east of Israel. Damascus was, and remains, the capital of Syria. This important city had a long history of conflict with God's people over the generations (2 Kings 5:1). Isaiah begins bluntly by saying that the city will become a heap of ruins. He states that another group of cities further south will become completely deserted (Isaiah 17:1–2).

Then Isaiah adds that Ephraim will share in the doom of Damascus. Ephraim was another name for the nation of Israel comprised of the northern ten tribes of God's people. They had made an alliance with Syria to stand against the coming attacks of the Assyrians. This oracle was fulfilled in 732 BC when the Assyrians destroyed Damascus and much of Israel. This attack killed and eventually deported most of the population of both nations (Isaiah 17:3).

Isaiah writes that Israel will no longer be able to defend itself. In the same way, Damascus will cease to be a kingdom after being claimed by the Assyrians. The survivors left behind in Syria will have the same glory as the remnant of those left in Israel: virtually nothing at all. The formerly prosperous Israel will be brought so low that they will seem like a once healthy person wasting away with disease. The nation will be like the poor people who survive on the gleanings left behind as charity when the wheat and olives are harvested in Israel (Isaiah 17:4–6).

Finally, the feeble remnant of Israel will look to their Creator, the Lord God, instead of to idols. Understanding that their false gods did not save them, the humbled and broken in the land will turn back to the Holy One of Israel. They will stop using false altars, incense, and pagan fertility gods like Asherim. The strong cities of Israel and Syria will be as deserted as the high places of Canaanite worship once were when Israel first came to the land. When God's people first arrived, they wiped out these places of worship to false gods (Exodus 34:13–14). Israel, though, eventually turned and worshiped those same Canaanite gods (Judges 2:1–3). They forgot about the God of their salvation. They failed to remember Who was the source of their shelter (Isaiah 17:7–9).

Isaiah compares Israel's idolatry to someone who devotes himself to carefully planting and cultivating a stranger's vine to provide food for himself. He tends the vine all the way through to the blossom stage, but never gets a harvest. This is the same thing as worshiping false gods: there is no return aside from grief and pain (Isaiah 17:10–11).

The roaring of the approaching enemy nations is like a violent storm raging on the sea. It is terrifying, and all in its path know they need shelter. The Lord wants Israel to trust in Him as that shelter. He is the One who sends the nations running with a single rebuke. He becomes an even more terrifying storm, chasing away the enemies of His people like dust before a strong wind (Isaiah 17:12–14).

Isaiah 17:1–14 begins as a prophecy of the destruction of Damascus, the capital of Syria. Israel will nearly be wiped out along with it. Survivors of both nations will exist on scraps. The remnant of Israel will finally look to their Maker for help instead of praying to false idols. This remnant will experience grief and pain because they have forgotten the God of their salvation. Still, the Lord God has the power to drive away enemies like dust against a strong wind.

Chapter Summary:

What begins as an oracle against Damascus becomes a description of the consequences of Israel's faithlessness As well as the Lord's ability to save them. Damascus will become a heap of ruins. Ephraim will be nearly wiped out along with it. The glory of both will be wasted away like a once healthy man starving and living on scraps. Finally, Israel will look to their Maker instead of to idols they have made with their hands. They forgot the God of their salvation, the One who can chase away the storms of the enemy nations.

Chapter Context:

Prior chapters included prophecies against various nations, such as Assyria, Babylon, and Moab (Isaiah 13—16). Chapter begins as another oracle against one of Israel's hostile neighbors. However, this one is set much earlier in time. Damascus will become ruins and Israel will be nearly wiped out along with it. Survivors will gather scraps just to survive. The remnant in Israel will finally look to their Maker for help, instead of to idols. Still, the Lord can drive away the roaring nations who have come against Israel. Further oracles follow, beginning with a prophecy about Cush (Isaiah 18).

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).

Accessed 4/28/2024 11:32:53 PM