Isaiah 29
Published June 22, 2025
June 22
Reading: Isaiah 29
1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped!
Add year to year; let the feasts run their round.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel,
and there shall be moaning and lamentation,
and she shall be to me like an Ariel.
3 And I will encamp against you all around,
and will besiege you with towers
and I will raise siegeworks against you.
4 And you will be brought low;
from the earth you shall speak,
and from the dust your speech will be bowed down;
your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost,
and from the dust your speech shall whisper.
5 But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust,
and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.
And in an instant, suddenly,
6 you will be visited by the LORD of hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her,
shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.
8 As when a hungry man dreams,
and behold, he is eating,
and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
or as when a thirsty man dreams,
and behold, he is drinking,
and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched,
so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
stagger, but not with strong drink!
10 For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
11 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read."
13 And the Lord said:
"Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden."
15 Woe to you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
16 You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me";
or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
17 Is it not yet a very little while
until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.
22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
"Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.
23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction."
We do not know why, in Isaiah 29, the city of Jerusalem is called Ariel. It could be a term of endearment for God’s special daughter, or a word for a daughter deserving judgment.
Have you noticed the repetitive nature of Isaiah’s prophesy? God uses repetition as a teaching tool. We are visiting the same truths over and over, but presented in slightly different ways.
Beginning in verse 1, we find that David’s city, still bearing his name and observing their religious festivals, is destined for God’s judgment. The oracle of judgment here employs an interesting strategy.
Do you live every moment of every day in the reality of God who sees? What do you do or say that you would never do or say if you really believed that God is right there, watching?
Reading: Isaiah 29
1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped!
Add year to year; let the feasts run their round.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel,
and there shall be moaning and lamentation,
and she shall be to me like an Ariel.
3 And I will encamp against you all around,
and will besiege you with towers
and I will raise siegeworks against you.
4 And you will be brought low;
from the earth you shall speak,
and from the dust your speech will be bowed down;
your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost,
and from the dust your speech shall whisper.
5 But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust,
and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.
And in an instant, suddenly,
6 you will be visited by the LORD of hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her,
shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.
8 As when a hungry man dreams,
and behold, he is eating,
and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
or as when a thirsty man dreams,
and behold, he is drinking,
and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched,
so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
stagger, but not with strong drink!
10 For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
11 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read."
13 And the Lord said:
"Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden."
15 Woe to you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
16 You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me";
or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
17 Is it not yet a very little while
until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.
22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
"Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.
23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction."
We do not know why, in Isaiah 29, the city of Jerusalem is called Ariel. It could be a term of endearment for God’s special daughter, or a word for a daughter deserving judgment.
Have you noticed the repetitive nature of Isaiah’s prophesy? God uses repetition as a teaching tool. We are visiting the same truths over and over, but presented in slightly different ways.
Beginning in verse 1, we find that David’s city, still bearing his name and observing their religious festivals, is destined for God’s judgment. The oracle of judgment here employs an interesting strategy.
- There is coming on the city a humbling assault. (vss. 1-4) God “will camp around you.” The Lord is speaking of His use of Assyria to surround Jerusalem, erect siege works, and bring armies against the city.
- But then, the Lord will deliver Israel from the assaulting nations. (vss. 5-8) Just when all seems lost, the Lord will turn Israel’s enemies to dust. They will be gone like a bad dream.
- However, the people of God are in a crisis of which they are ignorant. (vss. 9-14) Because of their spiritual blindness and stupor, they are unable to read or hear anything that the Lord says. Verses 13-14 tell us why they are in such a miserable state. They are only pretending at following the Lord. They tell themselves that they are wise and discerning, but really their hearts are far away from God.
Do you live every moment of every day in the reality of God who sees? What do you do or say that you would never do or say if you really believed that God is right there, watching?