Isaiah 9:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

NIV: Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.

NASB: For wickedness burns like a fire; It consumes briars and thorns; It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame And they roll upward in a column of smoke.

CSB: For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets so that they go up in a column of smoke.

NLT: This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but also sets the forests ablaze. Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.

KJV: For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

NKJV: For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.

Isaiah continues to deliver a prediction of God's judgment on the wicked people of that era. This chapter concludes with four verses (Isaiah 9:19–21) describing the nature of Israel's sinfulness. It is not simply that they have neglected to worship the Lord and seek help from Him. The people of Israel have been leading self-serving, wicked lifestyles.

Scripture uses the metaphor of wildfire to depict the spread of wickedness. It consumes the briers and thorns along the ground first. Gaining momentum, it finds more fuel in the thickets and then begins to ignite the trees themselves. Soon a huge column of smoke can be seen towering over the forest.

Sinfulness, too, begins with smaller rebellions, simple and easy disobedience. The appetite for sin grows and more fuel is needed to get the same level of rush. New sins are explored. Sinful habits become sinful lifestyles. Sinful lifestyles are shared and turn into sinful neighborhoods and communities. This had happened in Israel, and the time of the Lord's judgment for sin had come.

Isaiah 9:8–21 returns to describing the judgment coming upon Israel in Isaiah's time. Despite the arrogance of the people, the enemies of their allies will devour them. When the people do not repent, the Lord will wipe out their leaders. He will have no compassion for the sinful people in every level of society. Wickedness burns through the people like a wildfire, turning human lives into fuel. Sinfulness causes people to devour each other and even themselves in trying to satisfy sin's appetite. The Lord will judge Israel for all of it.

Isaiah 9 begins prophecy about a future when darkness will be lifted from Israel. The nation will be free, prosperous, and at permanent peace. This will happen because God will send a child who will become a king on David's throne. More than a man, this king will be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace and will rule forever. In Isaiah's day, though, God's judgment will soon fall on Israel. He will wipe out their leaders. Wickedness burns through the nation like fire.

Isaiah 9 begins with what may be the conclusion of the previous chapter. Isaiah 8 ended with the description of the darkness experienced by those in Israel who reject the Lord. The prophet describes a day in Israel's far future when the gloom will lift and glory will return. A child will become king of Israel, but He will also be the Everlasting Father who will rule forever. However, In Isaiah's time, the Lord will judge Israel with destruction from other nations. The following chapter pronounces disaster for the people who persist in sin.

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).