Isaiah 27:1-6
Sunday Morning Bible Study
August 8, 1999
Introduction
We have been in the section of Isaiah known as "Isaiah’s Apocalypse". It covers chapters 24-27, and deals with what we know as the "end times". In chapter 24 we saw a picture of the devastation on the earth that will take place during the upcoming Tribulation period. In chapter 25 we took a peek at what heaven will be like. In chapter 26, we saw how the nation of Israel would come through the Tribulation. Today we’ll continue to look at the full restoration of the nation of Israel as it comes through the Tribulation.
:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent …
sore – qasheh – hard, cruel, severe
leviathan – livyathan – leviathan, sea monster, dragon. Here it is a reference to Satan, known as the "dragon" (Rev. 12:9).
Lesson
Satan is going to lose.
(Rev 12:7-13 KJV) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, {8} And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
This war will take place in the middle of the Tribulation period. Up until that time, Satan has and continues to have access to heaven. He is known as the "accuser of the brethren".
{9} And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {10} And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. {11} And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Victory over Satan comes from three things:
The blood of Jesus is what covers our sins. It is what has paid the price for our sins so that when Satan accuses us, he has nothing against us because God has forgiven us.
The word of testimony not only includes telling people what Jesus has done in your life, but it included God’s Word, which is the testimony of God’s people.
Not loving their lives to death, how can Satan defeat you if you’re willing to die for Jesus?
{12} Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. {13} And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Satan will be behind a great persecution of the Jews during the Tribulation. This is part of the victory that Isaiah is talking about in Is. 27, that God will take care of the dragon who is persecuting the Jews.
When Jesus returns, Satan will be bound for a thousand years, then set loose for a brief period of time, after which …
(Rev 20:10 KJV) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Satan will one day lose for good.
:2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
A vineyard of red wine is one that is bearing fruit. In Isaiah 5, we read about a vineyard that didn’t produce healthy fruit. In contrast, this is a vineyard that produces good fruit.
Who is the vineyard?
Those who believe in the Lord, including Israel (Ps. 80:8) and the church (Mat. 20:1; John 15).
:3 I the LORD do keep it;
keep – natsar – to guard, watch, watch over, keep
:3 I will water it every moment:
water – shaqah – to give to drink, irrigate, drink, water, cause to drink water
every moment – rega – from raga, a wink (of the eyes), i.e. a very short space of time; a moment
Lesson
He satisfies thirsty souls.
God does not let thirsty people stay thirsty.
How are we watered?
By God Himself
Hosea 14:5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Through God’s Word
(Psa 1:1-3 KJV) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. {2} But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. {3} And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
By the Holy Spirit
(John 7:37-39 KJV) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39} (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Through those who minister to us
(1 Cor 3:6-8 KJV) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. {7} So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. {8} Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
Are you thirsty? Are you going to the right places to drink?
:3 lest any hurt it,
Lesson
Satan wants to destroy you.
(John 10:10 KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
(1 Pet 5:8-9 NLT) Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. {9} Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that Christians all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Lesson
Resist the enemy
(James 4:7 KJV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The only way you’re going to be able to handle Satan is if you’ve submitted yourself to God. It’s only as you are letting God have control over your life that you’ll be able to resist the devil. But once you’ve let Jesus be your Lord, you are now able to stand against what the enemy wants to do.
:3 I will keep it night and day.
We take vacations. God doesn’t. He’s always there for you.
Lesson
God protects us.
(Psa 121:3-4) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. {4} Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Illustration
Good Morning. I am God. Today I will be handling ALL of your problems. Please remember that I do NOT need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (something for Jesus to do) box. It will be addressed in MY TIME, NOT yours. Once the matter is placed in the box, do NOT hold onto it or remove it. Holding on or removal will only delay the resolution of your problem. If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, PLEASE consult ME in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution. Because I do NOT sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact ME, I am ONLY a prayer away. HAVE A NICE DAY.
(Psa 91 KJV) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. {2} I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. {3} Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. {4} He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. {5} Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; {6} Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Because God doesn’t sleep, we don’t have to be afraid during the day or the night.
{7} A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
There are a lot of people falling. It doesn’t have to be you.
{8} Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. {9} Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; {10} There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. {11} For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. {12} They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus taught us that we can’t take this too far and "tempt" the Lord by expecting Him to rescue us out of stupid decisions we make like jumping off the tops of temples (Mat. 4).
{13} Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Is there any clearer picture of our authority over Satan? We have no power to do this on our own, but it’s only Jesus in us that can give victory over Satan.
{14} Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
It’s all about your relationship with the Lord. It’s all about you loving Him.
{15} He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. {16} With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
John Gill writes,
"How great is the condescension of the Lord to take upon him the irrigation and preservation of his people! How dear and precious must they be to him! And what a privilege is it to be in such a plantation as this, watered and defended by the Lord himself!"
:4 Fury is not in me:
fury – chemah – heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath
God is not angry at His vineyard.
(1 Th 5:9 KJV) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
:4 who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle?
A vine does not have briers and thorns. It has leaves and fruit. If someone set before God briers and thorns, then He’d step all over them and burn them up. But instead He has His vine in front of Him. It’s not that we don’t have thorns in our lives. It’s that when we come to Jesus, God no longer sees the thorns. He just looks for the fruit in our lives.
:5 take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me
If any one finds himself fighting with God and it seems that God is trampling them down, then don’t run from God, take hold of His strength. Make your peace with God. Get right with God.
:6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
Instead of being plucked up and carried off by every army that comes their way, Israel will be settled permanently in the land. And as a vine that gets rooted firmly, there will be fruit.
Some see in this a fulfillment of modern times. In the last fifty years, the nation of Israel has been reestablished in the land, and there’s even been a physical fulfillment in that they are now one of the world’s largest exporters of fruit.
Lesson
Get deep roots
It’s only as a plant develops good roots that it can start bearing good fruit.
Jesus told a story about how a seed was affected by the kind of soil it fell on. He talked about how people are like different kinds of soils, and the kind of heart a person has will determine how effective the seed, God’s Word, will be. One of the soils was called "stony":
(Mat 13:20-21 KJV) But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; {21} Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
It’s the seed falling on stony ground that doesn’t develop roots. Without a strong root system, a plant isn’t going to survive the hot sun.
If you have a hard heart and are refusing to let God into certain parts of your life, then you’re going to stunt your own growth. It’s difficult to let God break up the stony ground and let His Word penetrate into those parts of your life that you just don’t want to face.
But the deeper you let the roots of God’s love go in your life, the more you’ll be able to stand up during the difficult times, and the more fruit you’ll see in your life.