Dz – In That Day, The Glory of Jacob Will Fade 17: 1-8

In That Day, The Glory of Jacob Will Fade
17: 1-8

In that day, the glory of Jacob will fade DIG: Whereas the previous two prophecies were dated in 715 BC, this one refers to events in 735-732 BC when the northern kingdom of Isra’el was allied with Syria against Assyria (see Chapter 7). The capital city of Syria was Damascus. Comparing 17:1-3 with 7:4-9, what will be the future of Damascus and Isra’el (or Ephraim)? What do 17:7-8 and 10a imply about Isra’el’s spiritual condition during this time (also see Second Kings 17:7-18).

REFLECT: God is described as the Maker (17:7a), the Holy One of Isra’el (17:7b), the Savior (17:10a) and the Rock (17:10b). Which of these aspects do you tend to forget sometimes? Why? Instead, what do you find yourself trusting in? What practices can help you “remember” the LORD and live out your life accordingly?

After dealing with Judah’s two southern neighbors, Philistia and Mo’ab, Isaiah now turns to address the two on the north, Syria and Isra’el. Although the oracle is addressed to Damascus, or Syria, the real intended audience after 17:3 is the northern kingdom of Isra’el. The point here is that the refusal to rely upon ADONAI is pure foolishness that will result in destruction by the nations. Even so, YHVH is in control of the nations and He will not permit them to eliminate His people. Despite the raging of all the nations, He is their Master.

Damascus was one of the most strategic cities of the ancient world. It stood at the mouth of a natural funnel through which ran the only suitable road between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Mount Hermon stood north of the city, and south of it are a string of basalt plateaus. Both of these provided barriers to caravans passing through. Therefore, Damascus was far more important than other cities of the same size. Isaiah, however, declared that it would become a heap of ruins. By the time of his prophecies against Philistia and Moab, it had already come true because the Assyrian king Shalmaneser had conquered it in 732 BC.

Isaiah writes an oracle concerning Damascus, and says: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins (17:1). Isaiah starts out by dealing with the devastation of Damascus and Ephraim, or the northern kingdom of Isra’el. Damascus will be destroyed first. She will become feeble. Panic will grip her; anguish and pain seize her. The town will be abandoned and her young men will die in the streets. God says that He will set fire to the walls of Damascus and consume the fortress of Ben-Hadad, the storm god of the Syrians (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Do – A Message Concerning Damascus). Amos says that God will break down the gate of Damascus (Amos 1:3-5).

The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid (17:2). Aroer (Numbers 32:34) is in Gad, one of the tribes that made up Ephraim. The picture is that these cities were once thriving, but now are only good for the grazing of animals. However, Damascus fares better than Babylon because Babylon’s land will not even be good for grazing. The near historical prophecy for Syria would be that she would be invaded and destroyed by Assyria. The prophet Amos tells us the people of Aram (Syria) will go into exile (Amos 1:5).

The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites, declares ADONAI-Tzva’ot (17:3 CJB). At the same time the fortified city of Samaria will disappear from Ephraim. The destruction of the northern kingdom of Isra’el comes only because of her alliance with Syria (with her capital city of Damascus) against the southern kingdom of Judah. They had become twins that could not be separated and together they would fall. Unbelieving Ephraim could not be helped by Damascus, or Damascus by unbelieving Ephraim. Isaiah says that the remnant of Aram will be like the fading glory of the Israelites (meaning the Northern Kingdom). The glory of the LORD had already departed from Isra’el . . . she was on the decline. As stated earlier (7:8), the near historical prophecy for Isra’el would be that she would not be a people within 65 years.

The Assyrian’s dealt with captured people differently than most other ancient nations. Usually, conquering civilizations would take their prisoners into exile within their own country, as the Babylonians would eventually do with the southern kingdom of Judah. But the Assyrians did not do that. They would switch some of the captives to their capital and nation, but more importantly they would bring their own people into the conquered land, eventually intermarry with them and assimilate them (Second Kings 17:24). This is what the Assyrians did to the northern kingdom of Isra’el. Eventually, she would not be a people. She would no longer be a Jewish nation, but a hybrid nation of Assyrians and Jews called Samaritans. The southern kingdom of Judah would despise them in the time of Messiah (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gw – The Parable of the Good Samaritan).

The main focus of this passage however, is on the northern kingdom of Isra’el. In that day the glory of Jacob, or the northern kingdom of Isra’el, will fade (17:4a). This is the first of three sections beginning with the phrase in that day. This refers to the time of God’s blessings showered on His people. In some passages, it is a far eschatological prophecy, while in others it refers to the near historical. 17:4 and 8-9 refer to the near historical, while 17:7 refers to the far eschatological. Isaiah frequently uses this near, far, near motif.

As a result of the invasion Jacob would face difficulties. Isaiah uses three figures of speech to describe what will happen to Isra’el and Syria. The first is physical, and the second two are agricultural. All three stress the pitiful nature of what will be left of both of them, but especially Isra’el. First, they will be like the fat of a man’s body wasting away. To depart from the way of faith means to be spiritually weakened.

Secondly, they will be like a reaper who gathers the standing grain and harvests the grain with his arm – as when a man gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim (17:4b-5). The Valley of Rephaim (Joshua 15:8, 18:16) was a fertile area west of Jerusalem where David had twice defeated the Philistines (Second Samuel 5:18-20 and 22-25). To depart from the way of faith makes the people of God vulnerable against external forces of destruction and leaves them with no evidence that they had ever existed.

Thirdly, the two countries will be like an olive tree after the harvest. Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs, declares ADONAI, the God of Israel (17:6). As a few olives are left on an olive tree’s branches, so a few people would be left. Most of them would be slaughtered. God would expose the northern kingdom of Isra’el as a spiritual fraud. The glory that Jacob had achieved was only through her own strength. Eventually, her arrogance would have to be replaced with humility.

Although the oracle here is against Syria and Isra’el, Isaiah writes for the benefit of the southern kingdom of Judah. It is as if he is saying, “Learn a lesson from how God deals with theses two nations.” Judah need not fear her neighbors; it was God whom she should fear.

The mixed race of the Israelites and the Assyrians, or the Samaritans as they came to be called, would not be a godly people. Of the nineteen kings of Isra’el, not one of them would serve the Lord. When Isra’el rebelled against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the United Kingdom was split in two. Shortly thereafter, the ten northern tribes, lead by their new king Jeroboam, would start to depart from the will of the Lord. God could not bless them because, under the leadership of Jeroboam, they changed the place of worship from Jerusalem to Dan and Bethel, they changed the time of worship of the Feast of Sukkot from the seventh to the eighth month, they changed the priests of worship from Levites to all sorts of people; and they changed the object of worship from God to golden calves (First Kings 12:26-33). These were the causes of her destruction.

But because of the grace of God, there would be a remnant out of the northern kingdom of Isra’el. When the true worshipers of ADONAI saw the perversion in Isra’el, they left and came back to Judah. There they were obedient to the worship of the LORD at the Temple. When Assyria came in and destroyed the northern Kingdom, a myth developed regarding “the ten lost tribes” of Isra’el. There are no lost tribes. Because of the worldwide dispersion after the fall of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70AD, Jews today have no idea what tribe they are from. But God knows. In the book of Revelation, John describes 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Isra’el. The term Isra’el used here is in a general sense. There are ten tribes from the northern Kingdom and two tribes from the southern Kingdom (Revelation 7:1-8). God knows who is in each tribe, and He knows the true remnant.

In 17:7 and 8 the Ruach Ha’Kodesh contrasts the gods made with human hands with the God whose hands have made humans. The Psalmist wrote: Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands (Psalm 119:73). This points out the folly of thinking that we can create a god in our own image, when in fact; we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Anything that we have made cannot save us because it is not holy. Yet, sometimes when life is going well it seems like we can. When our lives fall apart; however, we are forced to look to the one who holds us in His hands (Job 12:10; Isaiah 49:14-16, 62:3; Dani’el 5:23; John 10:27-30).⁵³

In that day men and women will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Isra’el (17:7). At the end of the Great Tribulation, in the day, there will be a national confession of sin, a plea for the LORD to return, and then the national regeneration of Isra’el, all twelve tribes. ADONAI says: And I will pour out on the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and supplication. They will look upon Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Me as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Me as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1). This is the far eschatological prophecy concerning Isra’el.

Verses 8 and 9 revert back to the near historical prophecy. When faced with certain destruction by the Assyrians, Jacob will realize the worthlessness of their idols. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made (17:8). The altars were those set up to idolatrous gods, not the true God. The Asherah poles were wooden symbols of Asherah, Canaanite fertility goddess and wife of Ba’al. In the northern kingdom of Isra’el, greatly influenced by Ba’al worship, were many who worshiped him at Asherah poles. But when the mighty Assyrians attacked, they quickly realized that only ADONAI could deliver them.