In our next segment of text we find the Lord asking Israel whether He was as harsh with her as He was with the heathen nations. (He was not.) We find Isaiah speaking of a time when idolatry will exist no more---a day in which the name of the Lord will be the only name upon which anyone will call.
"Has the Lord struck her as He struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her?" (Isaiah 27:7) The Lord has not dealt with Israel the way He has dealt with her enemies. In our study of the prophets we have already looked at several predictions involving the downfall of various enemies of Israel. A number of those fell never to rise again in any form; they ceased to exist as a nation and as a distinct people in the world. Yet the Lord has continued to preserve Israel, though on several occasions He allowed enemy armies to invade, plunder, conquer, and take captives. But at no time has He ever wiped out a tribe of Israel and there is no time when He ever will wipe out a tribe of Israel.
The prophet continues: "By warfare and exile You contend with her---with His fierce blast He drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows." (Isaiah 27:8) Scholars are in disagreement over what this verse means. Some believe it's a reference only to Israel, whereas some believe it's a reference to Israel and other nations to whom the Lord sent judgment. I personally feel that the "her" in this passage is Israel and that it's a reference to how, as we mentioned above, the Lord disciplined her for her idolatry with warfare and exile in the past.
I feel that this next passage reinforces that opinion because, after the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and many of her citizens taken captive and after the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon and many of her citizens taken captive, we do not find the descendants of Jacob falling into heathen idolatry again. There were still spiritual issues in Jesus' day, as we mentioned in yesterday's study, but we don't find the people building pagan altars and making sacrifices on them anymore.
From the time of their return from exile, we don't see the people clinging to heathen gods, but we also don't see the complete fulfillment of our next segment at that time. When they returned they were more concerned with rebuilding their cities and city walls than with tearing down old altars, so I assume many remained in ancient times. But there is coming an era---an eternal era---when the name of no god but will ever cross their lips except the name of the Lord. There will be no idolatry in any form, not the common form of ancient times (in which images were used) and not the modern form of putting prestige and prosperity and other things in place of God.
"By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned for, and this will be the fruit of the full removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing." (Isaiah 27:9) I am not clear whether Jacob (Israel) is the one being talked about when Isaiah says "he" will crush the altars or whether "he" is the Lord. Both may be the case since only the Lord can atone for anyone's sins and because, when all the people give their hearts fully to Him and He forgives their sins, they produce the fruit of repentance and remove all types of idolatry from their lives. The same can be said of anyone who repents and turns to the Lord for salvation: He is the one who does the forgiving and the atoning and the justifying, then once we have been saved our lives produce good and worthwhile fruit. But even then we cannot take credit for the fruit! We could produce nothing of value without Him.
The day Isaiah foresees is the day the prophet Zechariah foresaw when he said, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name." (Zechariah 14:9) Amen! What a glorious day that will be!
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