The Day of Vengeance

The Word of the LORD to Isaiah finishes with this declaration to the nations concerning impending doom and wrath. This prophecy can be applied not only to the days of Isaiah, when Assyria was gathering its strength against Judah and Jerusalem, but also to the soon coming Day when Jesus returns. The call extended to all who would hear, ‘Draw near, O Nations to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.’ This message is for everybody and every part of Creation, which is groaning to be released from bondage. And it will be released when the King of Kings comes!

The LORD’s indignation is against all the nations. His wrath is against all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them even as they gather strength and stand. God has given them over to slaughter, so their corpses will be thrown out and give off the stench of decay. The mountains around Jerusalem will be drenched with their blood. And all the hosts of heaven will wear away when the sky rolls up like a scroll. The stars will fall on the great and terrible Day of the LORD. 

God declares that His sword is satiated in Heaven and shall descend for judgment on Edom, and the rest of the people devoted to destruction. The Sword of the LORD will be filled with the blood of the sacrifices of the slain. The LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Even the animals will be slain, so their land is soaked in their blood. Why? The LORD has a Day of Vengeance, a Year of Recompense for the cause of Zion. As these nations gather against Jerusalem, the city God chose for His Name to dwell, they mark themselves for destruction.

Assyria did not know their choice to besiege Jerusalem would be the beginning of the great slaughter on them, but 185000 were slain in one night by the Angel of the LORD. In the coming days, the nations will again surround Jerusalem. This will be their death knell. For when Jesus returns, He will come and crush them underfoot, and His robe will be dipped in their blood. This begins in Edom. He will tread the winepress of His Wrath alone and none shall be able to stop Him. The land itself will be burned with fire and brimstone which shall not be quenched day or night, its smoke going up forever and ever. 

This desolation will extend for generations. That land will be given over to wild beasts as their habitation. The princes and novels will be replaced with owls, ravens, pelicans, hedgehogs, wolves, jackals, hairy goats, and the night monster. Tree snakes shall make their nest and raise their young. Hawks shall gather. Open the Book of the LORD, not one of these will be missing. None will lacks its mate. God has commanded this and His Spirit will gather the wild beasts and give them their allotted possession forever. These animals will possess that land devoted to destruction forever.

In contrast, the wilderness and desert will be glad. The Arabah will rejoice and bloom. The glory of Lebanon and majesty of Carmel and Sharon will be given to it. They will see the Glory of the LORD, the majesty of God when He comes to destroy the nations. Those exhausted and feeble are to be encouraged with these words, ‘Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. The recompense of God will come, but He will save you.’ Salvation is coming to those who trust in the LORD. The remnant of Israel will be saved.

Then the eyes of the blind shall see, the ears of the deaf shall hear. The lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. The waters will break forth in the wilderness, streams in the Arabah. The scorched land will become a pool, the thirsty ground springs of water. In the haunt of jackals grass will become reeds and rushes. The Highway of Holiness will pass through that land. The unclean will not travel it, fools will not wander on it. Lions and vicious beasts will not be found there. The redeemed of the LORD will walk on it. The ransomed of the LORD will return with Jesus to Jerusalem from the desert with joyful shouting. Everlasting joy will be on their heads, with gladness. Sorrow and sighing will flee away.

What a glorious Day that will be when God shows up to stop the armies who gather against His chosen city. He will trample them underfoot and give them to the birds. Then He will reign as King of the whole earth, and only then will there be peace. This message to Isaiah was to be a reminder to King Hezekiah and to the remnant of Judah that God was sovereign and they should trust Him from deliverance alone, for He alone can save them. It is also a reminder to us that only God can make things right in the land of Israel. The problems they continue to have will only be resolved when Jesus returns as their King and Messiah. Even so, Come Lord Jesus!