Isaiah 66:17
"Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves--to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats--will perish together," declares the LORD.
Those who consecrate and purify themselves
This phrase refers to individuals who engage in ritualistic practices to set themselves apart for what they perceive as sacred activities. The Hebrew roots here, "qadash" (consecrate) and "taher" (purify), often denote a setting apart for holy purposes. However, in this context, it is ironic, as these individuals are preparing themselves for idolatrous practices. Historically, this reflects the syncretism that plagued Israel, where pagan rituals were often mixed with the worship of Yahweh, leading to spiritual corruption.

to enter the groves
The "groves" were often sites of pagan worship, typically associated with Asherah poles or other idolatrous symbols. The Hebrew word "gan" can mean a garden or a grove, indicating a place lush with trees, which were commonly used in Canaanite religious practices. Archaeological findings have uncovered many such sites, confirming the biblical narrative of Israel's temptation to adopt surrounding nations' idolatrous customs.

following one in the midst
This phrase suggests a leader or a central figure guiding these individuals into idolatry. The Hebrew word "tavek" (midst) implies being in the center or among a group, indicating a communal aspect to this apostasy. Historically, this could refer to a priest or a charismatic leader who led people away from the true worship of God, a recurring theme in Israel's history.

of those who eat the flesh of swine
Eating swine's flesh was strictly prohibited under the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:7). The consumption of pork is symbolic of defilement and rebellion against God's commandments. In the historical context, this act represents a blatant disregard for the covenantal laws that set Israel apart as God's holy people. It underscores the depth of their apostasy and the cultural assimilation into pagan practices.

and vermin and rats
These creatures are considered unclean according to Levitical law (Leviticus 11:29-30). The Hebrew words "sheqets" (vermin) and "achbar" (rats) emphasize the abominable nature of these practices. This imagery serves to highlight the spiritual degradation and impurity of those who abandon God's laws for idolatrous customs. It reflects a complete inversion of the holiness code given to Israel.

will perish together
The phrase "will perish together" is a solemn declaration of divine judgment. The Hebrew word "saphah" (perish) conveys the idea of being consumed or destroyed. This is a prophetic warning that those who engage in such idolatrous practices will face God's wrath collectively. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's covenant and the inevitable judgment that follows unrepentant sin.

declares the LORD
This closing phrase, "declares the LORD," underscores the authority and certainty of the prophecy. The Hebrew "ne'um Yahweh" is a formulaic expression used to affirm that the message is directly from God. It serves as a divine seal on the prophecy, emphasizing that the words spoken are not merely human warnings but the assured pronouncement of the Almighty. This reinforces the seriousness of the message and the need for repentance and faithfulness to God's covenant.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Those who consecrate and purify themselves
This refers to individuals who engage in ritualistic practices, attempting to make themselves holy through their own means, often in defiance of God's commands.

2. The groves
Sacred groves were places of pagan worship, often associated with idolatry and practices contrary to the worship of Yahweh.

3. One in the midst
This could refer to a leader or figure who guides others into these idolatrous practices, leading them away from true worship.

4. Those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats
These are people who partake in unclean foods, which were forbidden under the Mosaic Law, symbolizing disobedience and impurity.

5. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who declares judgment upon those who engage in these practices.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Syncretism
Mixing true worship with pagan practices leads to spiritual corruption and judgment. Believers must guard against incorporating worldly or idolatrous elements into their faith.

Holiness and Obedience
True consecration comes from obedience to God's commands, not through self-devised rituals. Christians are called to live holy lives according to Scripture.

Leadership and Influence
Be cautious of leaders who guide others away from biblical truth. Evaluate teachings and practices against the Word of God.

Judgment and Accountability
God holds individuals accountable for their actions and choices. Understanding the seriousness of sin should lead to repentance and a commitment to follow God's ways.

Cultural Relevance
While the specific practices may differ today, the underlying issue of idolatry and disobedience remains relevant. Christians must discern and reject modern forms of idolatry.
Bible Study Questions
1. What are some modern-day practices or beliefs that might parallel the idolatrous practices mentioned in Isaiah 66:17?

2. How can we ensure that our worship and religious practices align with biblical teachings rather than cultural or personal preferences?

3. In what ways can we guard against the influence of leaders or teachings that may lead us away from true worship of God?

4. How does understanding the dietary laws in Leviticus help us grasp the significance of the practices condemned in Isaiah 66:17?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced a choice between following God's commands and conforming to societal norms. What did you learn from that experience, and how can it apply to your life today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 11
This chapter outlines the dietary laws given to Israel, including the prohibition against eating swine, which connects to the practices condemned in Isaiah 66:17.

Deuteronomy 12:2-3
These verses command the destruction of pagan worship sites, including groves, highlighting the seriousness of idolatry.

Romans 1:18-32
This passage discusses the consequences of idolatry and turning away from God, paralleling the judgment declared in Isaiah 66:17.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21
Paul warns against participating in pagan rituals, emphasizing the incompatibility of such practices with Christian faith.
Vain Attempts to Sanctify SelfE. Johnson Isaiah 66:17
The Manifestation of JehovahE. Johnson Isaiah 66:15-24
People
Isaiah, Israelites, Javan, Levites, Lud, Lydians, Meshech, Pul, Rosh, Tarshish, Tubal
Places
Javan, Jerusalem, Lud, Pul, Tarshish, Tubal, Zion
Topics
Abominable, Abomination, Affirmation, Ahad, Altogether, Behind, Center, Clean, Cleansing, Consumed, Declares, Detestable, Disgusting, Eat, Eating, Flesh, Gardens, Meet, Mice, Middle, Midst, Mouse, Perish, Pigs, Pig's, Purify, Rats, Sanctify, Sanctifying, Says, Separate, Sow, Swine's, Taking, Themselves, Thoughts, Tree, Works
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 66:17

     4240   garden, natural
     6103   abomination
     7416   purification
     8218   consecration

Isaiah 66:17-18

     8829   superstition

Library
A New Order of Priests and Levites
Think for a minute of the compass of this great promise. Evidently a high honor is here conferred. The connection leads us to see that not only a great promise but likewise a great privilege is herein implied. What is this privilege? It is that we shall be priests and Levites. Now, the priests or Levites were persons set apart to be God's peculiar property. When the firstborn were spared in Egypt, God claimed the firstborn to be his own, and he took the tribe of Levi to represent the firstborn; they
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Travailing for Souls
I. It is clear from the text, "As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children," that THERE MUST BE THE TRAVAIL before there will be the spiritual birth. Let me first establish this fact from history. Before there has fallen a great benediction upon God's people, it has been preceded by great searchings of heart. Israel was so oppressed in Egypt, that it would have been very easy, and almost a natural thing, for the people to become so utterly crushed in spirit as to submit to be hereditary
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

"All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6, 7.--"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Not only are the direct breaches of the command uncleanness, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy actions, our commanded duties. Take a man's civility, religion, and all his universal inherent righteousness,--all are filthy rags. And here the church confesseth nothing but what God accuseth her of, Isa. lxvi. 8, and chap. i. ver.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

And what Members of the Holy Body, which is the Church...
40. And what members of the holy body, which is the Church, ought more to take care, that upon them the holy Spirit may rest, than such as profess virginal holiness? But how doth He rest, where He findeth not His own place? what else than an humbled heart, to fill, not to leap back from; to raise up, not to weigh down? whereas it hath been most plainly said, "On whom shall rest My Spirit? On him that is humble and quiet, and trembles at My words." [2157] Already thou livest righteously, already thou
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

The Universal Church. --Isa. Lxvi. 12, 23
The universal Church.--Isa. lxvi. 12, 23. Thus saith the Lord, "My Church, to thee Peace, like a river, I will send; The Gentiles, in a stream, shall see My mercy flowing without end. The isles, that never heard my fame, Nor knew the glory of my might, They shall be taught to fear my name, Call'd out of darkness into light. And it shall come to pass, that vows From sabbath unto sabbath-day, From moon to moon, in mine own house, All nations, tribes, and tongues shall pay."
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Synagogues: their Origin, Structure and Outward Arrangements
It was a beautiful saying of Rabbi Jochanan (Jer. Ber. v. 1), that he who prays in his house surrounds and fortifies it, so to speak, with a wall of iron. Nevertheless, it seems immediately contradicted by what follows. For it is explained that this only holds good where a man is alone, but that where there is a community prayer should be offered in the synagogue. We can readily understand how, after the destruction of the Temple, and the cessation of its symbolical worship, the excessive value attached
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders,
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Here Some one Will Say, this is Now not to Write of virginity...
52. Here some one will say, This is now not to write of virginity, but of humility. As though truly it were any kind of virginity, and not that which is after God, which we had undertaken to set forth. And this good, by how much I see it to be great, by so much I fear for it, lest it be lost, the thief pride. Therefore there is none that guardeth the virginal good, save God Himself Who gave it: and God is Charity. [2211] The Guardian therefore of virginity is Charity: but the place of this Guardian
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Fifth Sunday in Lent
Text: Hebrews 9, 11-15. 11 But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh:
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

In the Dungeon of Giant Discourager
IN THE DUNGEON OF GIANT DISCOURAGER I feel very discouraged at times, and sometimes the spells of discouragement hang on for a long while. I wonder if I am sanctified. From unaccountable sources, bad feelings of every description depress my soul, and along with these bad feelings come doubts that cast gloom over me. I have prayed and prayed that these feelings of discouragement might leave me; but they have not done so. I despair of prayer bringing me the help I need. Really, I know not what to do.
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

How the Humble and the Haughty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 18.) Differently to be admonished are the humble and the haughty. To the former it is to be insinuated how true is that excellence which they hold in hoping for it; to the latter it is to be intimated how that temporal glory is as nothing which even when embracing it they hold not. Let the humble hear how eternal are the things that they long for, how transitory the things which they despise; let the haughty hear how transitory are the things they court, how eternal the things they
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Knowledge that God Is, Combined with the Knowledge that He is to be Worshipped.
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." There are two common notions engraven on the hearts of all men by nature,--that God is, and that he must be worshipped, and these two live and die together, they are clear, or blotted together. According as the apprehension of God is clear, and distinct, and more deeply engraven on the soul, so is this notion of man's duty of worshipping God clear and imprinted on the soul, and whenever the actions
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"To what Purpose is the Multitude of Your Sacrifices unto Me? Saith the Lord,"
Isaiah i. 11.--"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord," &c. This is the word he calls them to hear and a strange word. Isaiah asks, What mean your sacrifices? God will not have them. I think the people would say in their own hearts, What means the prophet? What would the Lord be at? Do we anything but what he commanded us? Is he angry at us for obeying him? What means this word? Is he not repealing the statute and ordinance he had made in Israel? If he had reproved
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Bunyan's Last Sermon --Preached July 1688.
"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" John i. 13. The words have a dependence on what goes before, and therefore I must direct you to them for the right understanding of it. You have it thus,--"He came to his own, but his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God." In
by John Bunyan—Miscellaneous Pieces

The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
Preached August 19TH, 1688 [ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR] This sermon, although very short, is peculiarly interesting: how it was preserved we are not told; but it bears strong marks of having been published from notes taken by one of the hearers. There is no proof that any memorandum or notes of this sermon was found in the autograph of the preacher. In the list of Bunyan's works published by Chas. Doe, at the end of the 'Heavenly Footman,' March 1690, it stands No. 44. He professes to give the title-page,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Union and Communion with God the End and Design of the Gospel
Psalm lxxiii. 24-28.--"Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, &c. Whom have I in heaven but thee? &c. It is good for me to draw near to God."--1 John i. 3. "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."--John xvii. 21-23. "That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, &c." It is a matter of great consolation that God's
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

False Ambition Versus Childlikeness.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XVIII. 1-14; ^B Mark IX. 33-50; ^C Luke IX. 46-50. ^c 46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the greatest. ^b 33 And he came to Capernaum: ^c 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, ^b and when he was in the house [probably Simon Peter's house] he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way? 34 But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest. [The Lord with his disciples was
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Necessity of Contemplating the Judgment-Seat of God, in Order to be Seriously Convinced of the Doctrine of Gratuitous Justification.
1. Source of error on the subject of Justification. Sophists speak as if the question were to be discussed before some human tribunal. It relates to the majesty and justice of God. Hence nothing accepted without absolute perfection. Passages confirming this doctrine. If we descend to the righteousness of the Law, the curse immediately appears. 2. Source of hypocritical confidence. Illustrated by a simile. Exhortation. Testimony of Job, David, and Paul. 3. Confession of Augustine and Bernard. 4. Another
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Great Teacher
Teaching was the great business of the life of Christ during the days of his public ministry. He was sent to teach and to preach. The speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he asked--"Who teacheth like him?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet Isaiah was telling when he said--He
Richard Newton—The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young

The Necessity of Regeneration, Argued from the Immutable Constitution of God.
John III. 3. John III. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. WHILE the ministers of Christ are discoursing of such a subject, as I have before me in the course of these Lectures, and particularly in this branch of them which I am now entering upon, we may surely, with the utmost reason, address our hearers in those words of Moses to Israel, in the conclusion of his dying discourse: Set your hearts unto all
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

How Christ is to be Made Use of as Our Life, in Case of Heartlessness and Fainting through Discouragements.
There is another evil and distemper which believers are subject to, and that is a case of fainting through manifold discouragements, which make them so heartless that they can do nothing; yea, and to sit up, as if they were dead. The question then is, how such a soul shall make use of Christ as in the end it may be freed from that fit of fainting, and win over those discouragements: for satisfaction to which we shall, 1. Name some of those discouragements which occasion this. 2. Show what Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Epistle xviii. To John, Bishop.
To John, Bishop. Gregory to John, Bishop of Constantinople [1586] . At the time when your Fraternity was advanced to Sacerdotal dignity, you remember what peace and concord of the churches you found. But, with what daring or with what swelling of pride I know not, you have attempted to seize upon a new name, whereby the hearts of all your brethren might have come to take offence. I wonder exceedingly at this, since I remember how thou wouldest fain have fled from the episcopal office rather than
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

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