Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 34

Verses 1-17

1. Intro:
   1. These 2 chapters will conclude the chapters on Judgment & Blessing.
   2. Contrast: The Barrenness of Edom & The Blossoming of Israel.
      1. Or, The Announcement of Judgment & The Assurance of Glory.
   3. But let’s 1^st go back to Numb.20:14-21 for an interesting tie in.
2. Announcement of Judgment! (ch.34)
   1. ​​​​​​​Judgment upon the People! (1-7)
   2. (1) The description is the final battle of Armageddon.
   3. (5) Though Edom is specifically named(Israel’s long time enemy), no nation will escape.
   4. Judgment upon the Land! (8-17)
   5. (8) Q: Why is God so upset? – For Zion’s sake.
   6. (11) These will thrive because no people are there.
   7. (13) Edom’s defenses will be overgrown w/bushes.
   8. (16,17) We can rejoice in the promises, anticipate the prophecies, & heed the prohibitions. (Shepherds Notes; pg.48)
      1. Though we’ll never this side of heaven grasp all of it…Gods Word will never fail! And, we can trust it implicitly.
      2. A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the Bible." The clergyman, orthodox in his views, responded, "I certainly do believe the Bible to be the Word of God." "But aren't there things in the Bible you can't explain?" With humility the minister answered, "Yes, there are places in the Bible too hard for me to understand." With an air of triumph as though he had cornered the preacher, the atheist asked, "Well, what do you do then?" Unruffled, the clergyman went on eating his dinner-- which happened to be Hudson shad, a tasty fish but noted for its bony structure. Looking up, he said, "Sir, I do just the same as when eating this shad. When I come to the bones, I put them to the side of the plate and go on enjoying my lunch. I leave the bones for some fool to choke on.”