Day 204 (Isaiah 31-34) - Year 8

**Tara-Leigh Cobble** (0:01)
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.
Yesterday, we covered woes number one, two, and three, and today we wrap up the final three of six. Today's reading ended on a dark note, but hopefully you'll be encouraged to know that tomorrow things brighten up a bit. And we're not far off from the parts of Isaiah that deal with the new heavens and the new earth, which are pretty amazing to read about.
We opened today with a reinforced woe to Judah. Woe to those who go down to Egypt. We've heard this one before. We know Judah is working on an alliance with Egypt because Judah is afraid of Assyria, so this is clearly directed at Judah. God says they will seek help from Egypt, but Egypt will be rendered helpless themselves. They may have horses and chariots, but God has weapons Judah can't even imagine. He can provide in ways that are super natural, and he foretells a day when they'll finally turn to him and destroy their idols. And in that day, a righteous king will reign. Hopefully, you've picked up on this by now, but anytime we see the future righteous king reigning after the day of the Lord, that points to Jesus. Of course, the people in Isaiah's day didn't know this. They naturally assumed it would be an earthly king, but a good one to contrast all the bad ones they've experienced. In that day, fools and scoundrels won't be exalted anymore, but for now, they're still running rampant. The fool and the scoundrel are two distinct people here. 32-6 describes the fool like this. The fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the Lord, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
And here's what verse 7 says about the scoundrel. As for the scoundrel, his devices are evil. He plans wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right.
One of the first things that came to mind when I read this was the people who work as sex traffickers, luring unwitting poor people into lives of rape after promising them good jobs or college degrees.
When I read about the fool and the scoundrel, all I know is I never want to be either of those people. And one thing they both have in common, besides their hatred of God and His word, is a disregard for the poor and needy. In fact, a lot of people in Isaiah's day have this problem. Their wealth has made them complacent. He specifically addresses the complacent women and calls them to repent. They are the focus of the fifth woe. He warns them that they're living in a sense of security, when in fact things are about to get really bad within the year. But then, as he always does, he reminds them of the message of hope beyond the desolation. He says God's Spirit will be poured out all over the land, which will cause people's hearts to turn back to him and they'll begin to flourish again.
The sixth and final woe is pronounced to the destroyer and the traitor, which ultimately points to those who have wounded God's people in Judah. They will serve God's purposes in bringing Judah to repentance, but then they will be judged themselves.
Isaiah declares God's trustworthiness to the people of Judah, who will be inclined to doubt it as all of this is unfolding. He wants to remind them who Yahweh is. In the midst of everything they know being turned on its head, and everything they've found their identity and hope in being shaken, Isaiah reminds them in 33-6, He will be the stability of your times. Nothing else is worth building your life on.
He says, the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure. In other words, the most valuable thing you have is your trust in God.
After we wrapped up the six woes, we moved on to the judgment of the nations in chapter 34 Much lighter reading, right? Nope. God promises to bring judgment on all the nations of the earth. Honestly, this should come as no surprise. We know what humanity is like. We've seen the news.
Isaiah begins to paint images of Edom being turned into an abandoned wasteland full of tar and fire and terrible animals like porcupines and owls. I just had to point that out because owls terrify me. See? It's biblical. While Isaiah is describing what will happen to Edom after God brings vengeance on it, some people believe this is also alluding to hell. Either way, owls are there, so I'm not going. And near the end of today's reading, we have another reminder of why we don't take verses out of context and claim them for ourselves. A well-meaning single woman once told me she was claiming Isaiah 3416 as her promise that God has a husband for her. It says, None shall be without her mate.