Yet He too is wise and brings disaster; He does not call back His words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers. But He also is wiseThis phrase emphasizes the wisdom of God, contrasting human wisdom with divine wisdom. The Hebrew word for "wise" here is "חָכָם" (chakam), which denotes not just intelligence but skillful and practical wisdom. In the context of Isaiah, this wisdom is a reminder that God's plans and purposes are far beyond human understanding. Historically, Israel often relied on alliances with other nations, like Egypt, for protection, but this phrase underscores that true wisdom and guidance come from God alone. and will bring disaster
The Hebrew word for "disaster" is "רָעָה" (ra'ah), which can mean evil, calamity, or adversity. This indicates that God, in His wisdom, will allow or bring about consequences for actions that are contrary to His will. The historical context here is crucial; Israel's reliance on Egypt instead of God would lead to disaster. This serves as a warning that turning away from God's guidance results in negative consequences. He does not call back His words
This phrase highlights the faithfulness and unchangeable nature of God's word. The Hebrew root "שׁוּב" (shuv) means to turn back or repent. Unlike humans, God does not retract His promises or warnings. This is a powerful reminder of the reliability and steadfastness of God's declarations. Scripturally, it aligns with the idea that God's word is eternal and unchanging, as seen in passages like Isaiah 40:8. but will rise up against the house of the evildoers
The phrase "rise up" comes from the Hebrew "קוּם" (qum), meaning to stand or arise. This indicates God's active intervention against those who do evil. The "house of the evildoers" refers to those who persist in sin and rebellion against God. Historically, this could be seen as a reference to both Israel and their enemies, who acted contrary to God's commands. It serves as a reminder of God's justice and His commitment to righteousness. and against the help of those who do iniquity
The word "help" in Hebrew is "עֶזְרָה" (ezrah), meaning assistance or support. This phrase points to the futility of relying on human aid when it is aligned with iniquity, or "אָוֶן" (aven), which means trouble or wickedness. The historical context is Israel's reliance on Egypt, a nation characterized by idolatry and opposition to God's ways. This serves as a caution against forming alliances that compromise one's faith and integrity. It underscores the principle that true help and deliverance come from God alone, not from alliances with those who do not honor Him. Persons / Places / Events 1. GodThe central figure in this verse, described as wise and just, who brings disaster upon the wicked and their allies. 2. The House of the WickedRepresents those who oppose God's will and live in rebellion against His commandments. 3. Allies of EvildoersThose who support or align themselves with the wicked, sharing in their opposition to God. 4. IsaiahThe prophet who delivers this message, serving as God's mouthpiece to the people of Judah. 5. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, to whom Isaiah's prophecies were primarily directed, often warned against relying on foreign alliances instead of trusting in God. Teaching Points God's Unchanging NatureGod's wisdom and justice are constant. He does not retract His words, emphasizing the reliability of His promises and warnings. The Consequences of WickednessAligning with evil brings inevitable disaster. This serves as a warning to avoid partnerships that oppose God's will. Trust in God's WisdomHuman alliances and strategies cannot replace the wisdom and protection found in trusting God. God's Sovereignty Over NationsGod is in control of the rise and fall of nations, and His plans will prevail over human schemes. Call to Righteous LivingBelievers are encouraged to live righteously and avoid complicity with evil, knowing that God will act against wickedness. Bible Study Questions 1. How does understanding God's unchanging nature in Isaiah 31:2 impact your trust in His promises today? 2. In what ways can you identify and avoid alliances or partnerships that may lead you away from God's will? 3. How does the assurance of God's sovereignty over nations and events bring comfort in times of global uncertainty? 4. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of aligning with ungodly influences. What did you learn from that experience? 5. How can you actively pursue righteousness in your daily life, knowing that God opposes the wicked and their allies? Connections to Other Scriptures Proverbs 21:30This verse emphasizes that no wisdom, understanding, or counsel can prevail against the Lord, reinforcing the idea of God's ultimate wisdom and authority. Jeremiah 44:29Illustrates God's fulfillment of His words, showing that He does not retract His declarations, similar to Isaiah 31:2. Psalm 33:10-11Highlights God's sovereignty in bringing the plans of nations to nothing, aligning with His actions against the wicked and their allies. Nahum 1:2-3Describes God's character as just and avenging, consistent with His actions in Isaiah 31:2. Romans 1:18Speaks of God's wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, paralleling His stance against the wicked in Isaiah 31:2. People Egyptians, Isaiah, Israelites, JeremiahPlaces Egypt, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, ZionTopics Able, Arise, Aside, Bring, Bringeth, Brings, Changed, Disaster, Doers, Evil, Evildoers, Evil-doers, Helpers, Iniquity, Purpose, Recalleth, Retract, Rise, Risen, Though, Wicked, Wise, Workers, YetDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 31:2 1180 God, wisdom of
8736 evil, warnings against Isaiah 31:1-2 4155 divination Isaiah 31:1-3 5003 human race, and God
5864 futility
8463 priority, of faith, hope and love Library Three Pictures of one Reality
'As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it'--ISAIAH xxxi. 5. The immediate occasion of this very remarkable promise is, of course, the peril in which Jerusalem was placed by Sennacherib's invasion; and the fulfilment of the promise was the destruction of his army before its gates. But the promise here, like all God's promises, is eternal in substance, and applies to a community only because it applies to each …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Lord's Furnace
'The Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.'-- ISAIAH xxxi. 9. This very remarkable characterisation of God stands here as a kind of seal, set upon the preceding prophecy. It is the reason why that will certainly be fulfilled. And what precedes is mainly a promise of a deliverance for Israel, which was to be a destruction for Israel's enemies. It is put in very graphic and remarkable metaphors: 'Like as a lion roareth on his prey when a multitude of shepherds is called forth …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture What God Is
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." We have here something of the nature of God pointed out to us, and something of our duty towards him. "God is a Spirit," that is his nature, and "man must worship him," that is his duty, and that "in spirit and in truth," that is the right manner of the duty. If these three were well pondered till they did sink into the bottom of our spirits, they would make us indeed Christians, not in the letter, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Of Conversion
Of Conversion "Be ye truly converted unto that God from whom ye have so deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). To be truly converted is to avert wholly from the creature, and turn wholly unto God. For the attainment of salvation it is absolutely necessary that we should forsake outward sin and turn unto righteousness: but this alone is not perfect conversion, which consists in a total change of the whole man from an outward to an inward life. When the soul is once turned to God a wonderful facility is …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer Of Perfect Conversion, which is an Effect of this Method of Prayer --Two of Its Aids, the Attraction of God, and the Central Inclination of The
"Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). Conversion is nothing else but a turning from the creature to God. Conversion is not perfect, though it is necessary for salvation, when it is merely a turning from sin to grace. To be complete, it must be a turning from without to within. The soul, being turned in the direction of God, has a great facility for remaining converted to Him. The longer it is converted, the nearer it approaches to God, and attaches …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Sennacherib (705-681 B. C. )
The struggle of Sennacherib with Judaea and Egypt--Destruction of Babylon. Sennacherib either failed to inherit his father's good fortune, or lacked his ability.* He was not deficient in military genius, nor in the energy necessary to withstand the various enemies who rose against him at widely removed points of his frontier, but he had neither the adaptability of character nor the delicate tact required to manage successfully the heterogeneous elements combined under his sway. * The two principal …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 31:2 NIVIsaiah 31:2 NLTIsaiah 31:2 ESVIsaiah 31:2 NASBIsaiah 31:2 KJV
Isaiah 31:2 Commentaries
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