Isaiah 29 Words Whispered From The Dust Vs The Word Of The Book.
Jerusalem would come under siege (vv. 1-2), and they would be brought low (v. 3). This would find fulfillment under the Assyrians in 701 BC. Their speech, like that of a medium, would “whisper out of the dust” (v. 4). They would become like those who seek the dead on behalf of the living” (8:19). Their enemies would fair no better (v. 5). The LORD of hosts would thunder against Jerusalem and her enemies together (vv. 6-7). Men will dream, but their souls will remain empty (v. 8). They would be blind to the word of God-from the prophets and the seers (vv. 9-10). The book of God’s word would remain sealed against their understanding (vv. 11-12).
They would have no fear of God, because they followed the commandments of men (v. 13). God would bring to an end their reliance on human wisdom, and this would be a wonder (v. 14). They thought that they could hide their thoughts from the LORD-but he sees and knows (v. 15). The LORD is the potter, and they are the clay (v. 16). The LORD will turn to the nations, beginning with Lebanon, which would become a fertile forest (v. 17). “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD.” (v. 18-19a).
The terrible ones are those who looked for the triumph of iniquity, who scorned and mocked those who sought out the judgments of the law, who would ultimately be consumed (v. 20). These are those who seek to “make a man an offender by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just by empty words” (v. 21). The gate was the place where judgments were made, where leaders would adjudicate cases based on the law. With the restoration of the word there would come understanding, “and those who complained will learn doctrine” (vv. 22-24). The next generation will then fear the LORD.