Chapters 33, 34, & 35 - Chapter 33 - Woe To The Spoiler

Isaiah 33:1 ¶ Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

Primary application -  Assyria - Ahaz did not believe The LORD would not allow Syria and Israel to come into Jerusalem, so he made an alliance with Assyria. Ahaz then spoiled Jerusalem to recompense Assyria for their protection. This was likely a demand of Assyria. Assyria seems to be an ally of Judah - the treachery of Assyria. They actually came to lord over Judah

Assyria later when Isaiah 36:1 ¶ Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them. (Not Jerusalem) - They spoil the countryside

Assyria seized the opportunity to spoil Jerusalem under Ahaz posing as their protector but using this as a way to gain Jerusalem - if we defeat the one's their God can't defeat they will faint when we come to take the city for ourselves. Assyria's end Isaiah 31:8 - only after they (Judah) turn to The LORD Isaiah 31:6

Isaiah 33:2 - Their cry to the LORD for His protection - king Hezekiah knows who to turn to, he knows arm is strong,. The morning would start with sacrifices, now when there is only one way to escape they find meaning and purpose in these sacrifices. Now we wait to see your salvation.

In Isaiah 33:3-24 the weakness of the flesh compared to the salvation of The LORD. When the weakness of the flesh is realized the voice of The LORD can be heard and He can be exalted. Only when they realized their weakness could they see the strength and salvation of The LORD.

 I believe this prophesy was delivered to Ahaz to show the consequences of his disbelief and choosing to stay upon Assyria instead of The Holy One Of Israel. And to show him the salvation The LORD offers when He is exalted.

Secondary application: Isaiah 34:1-2 -this woe is upon all the nations that have come to spoil God's chosen people and His City in their past , in their present  and in their future.

See (Habakkuk 1: 6)., See Note# 1

Chapter 34  are about "That Day" when The LORD pours out not His Spirit but His wrath upon the nations that come to devour His People This is called in Isaiah 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion

Chapter 35 tells of the safety and peace that His sends to those who choose the covered by His Spirit instead of sin. See Zechariah 12:9-10 He will pour out His Spirit again upon His people.

Note#1 - After king Hezekiah their desire to remain true to The LORD didn't last long. We spoke of the Chaldeans, Mead/Persia and than the Romans. Today the world is telling Israel if you give back some of what you gained through victory you will live in peace  - treachery continues to day.

Note #2 - Isaiah 35:7 What dragon - Leviathan - where does he lay - in the sea (where ships are). There  will  more sea in the New Heavens & Earth (Revelation 21:1) There will be no place for Satan, he will be in the lake of fire for eternity.

Next lessons Chapter 36 & 37 - The wisdom of Hezekiah

The woe of Chapters 28-33

Woe #1 - Crown of pride

Woe #2 - City with no vision

Woe #3 - Seek to hide counsel from God

Woe #4 - Rebellious children - rejecting God's Spirit

Woe #5 - Woe to those who desire Egypt

Woe #6 - Woe to the treacherous spoiler

Pre hand-out for Isaiah 36 & 37

Read Isaiah 36 & 37

2Kings 18:1-6; 2Chronicles 29:1-36

Isaiah 28:9-10

1Corinthiams 14:22 & 1Corinthians 2:14

When did Hezekiah put things in order?  ____________________   Verse 2Chron 29:2

When God shows us the right thing to do when should we do it? ____________  Verse 2Chron 29:36