Chapter 29 - Woe unto Ariel, A City Without A Vision

Isaiah is about the unavoidable 70 years of desolation coming upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Isaias 29-1a -Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt!

Ariel here is another name for Jerusalem Also (See Note #1)

1King 2:11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. The Kings of Judah were buried the city of David (Do not confuse with Bethlehem, city of David in Luke. This is where the tribe of David had to go to be counted and taxed under Roman law).

 

Isaiah 29:1b- add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices

Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and the alter of sacrifice was there. Judah continued sacrifices  Jerusalem after the kingdom was divided. Jerusalem was God Holy City, where atonement for sins were made, where God's grace was offered in return to cover the sins of Judah.

Isaiah 29:2 -Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

We have seen the corrupt priests accepting weak and lame (blemished) animals for sacrifice and working for their own gain. God declared the death of Jerusalem was necessary for Him to offer the purging of their iniquity (Isaiah 22:14) - This death is the 70 years of desolation - distressing that is spoken of here

Isaiah 29:3-7 - This distress is pictured.

Isaiah 29:8 - Their sorrow will be increased in their dreams - Like a starving man will dream of having a huge feast - those in Jerusalem will dream of  better times but will only be distressed more when they awaken in the reality of God's wrath.

Isaiah 29:9- if they are not drunk wine wine what are they drunk with - their iniquity, their proudly sinning, and the innocent blood - Ps 106:38, Isaiah 63:6 - God's wrath,  - Isaiah 5:18 ¶ Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: (See Note #2)

They had become out of control in their sinning until their iniquity had control over them.

Isaiah 29:10- 12 - God has caused His City to sleep and unable to awaken to His prophesy  - He has sealed in from their understanding. The vision delivered to His prophets to be delivered to His People was now hidden from them. The LORD spoken 70 years of desolation was unavoidable. -

Isaiah 29:13-14 - Because the people say they want to hear The LORD's words but in their heart they refuse to believe and obey they have made a confederacy whit death and hell and chose to stay (rely) on their sins to keep then from The LORD's appointed judgment. He was going to do the marvelous of bringing the Chaldeans into the city where David dwelled - the reason would not be understood by all the wisdom of the wise. -  The LORD called it Ariel, it was no longer His beloved Jerusalem.

 

Note #1 - Ariel - Obviously Ariel is a symbolic name for Jerusalem. In Ezra 8:16 we see the man Ariel as a man of understanding who Ezekiel sent to gather the Levites to again serve as priests in the temple after it was rebuilt after the 70 years of Chaldean rule - serve around the alter

Note #2 - It is like a big game hunter that goes hunting with only a rope. He see the worlds largest lion and decides to lasso him and to be sure the lion doesn’t get away he ties the end of the lasso around his midsection. He ropes the lion and begins to pull him in, but the lion says enough and starts running and of course the hunter is dragged through the jungle until the lion thinks what am I doing I’m hungry. Who is in control now and what's going to happen to the hunter? The hunter being pulled by the rope on the lion - that is the situation everyone is in without Christ as savior. Ready to be devoured by the sin they are tied to.
 

Proverbs 29:18 

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Vision - Is it the desire to see God work?

First mentioned in the Bible - Genesis 15:1 ¶ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward

Isaiah 1:1 ¶ The vision of Isaiah...

Obadiah 1:1 ¶ The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD...

Nahum 1:1 ¶ ....The book of the vision of Nahum...

Acts 26:19 (Paul said)  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

 

Vision a word from God - The LORD - The prophets did not just hear God's words but they saw in their hearts and minds what they were bring to His people.

The LORD had closed the hearts of (most of) those in Jerusalem and would not let them hear the truth.

Isaiah 28:7 they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. They erred the vision of being God's chosen people - We can proudly live in deep sin and be safe from God's judgment - Really? They missed the if you do not believe you won't be established - God's vision for His people was for them to be established in HIM, than be established in the land

In Isaiah 29:7 the ability to believe the vision delivered through Isaiah was hidden from those in Jerusalem.

They were going to die - 70 years of desolation.

See Isaiah 6:18

What is the vision of Our Church

Is is looking ahead to when we have 300 people every Sunday, seeing a great revival in town, a new building, ect - The vision of our church must be God's Word - The Bible - and the knowledge contained within it's pages. When the truth of God's word is taken out of our church our church may have 300 people, a great new building but as a true church it will perish.

 The vision of our church should not be the great things we see accomplished in the future, it should be the great truth God's has for us in His Word today.

 Take away God's word from us individually - as joyful, fruitful, Christians we too perish, still saved but if as by fire.