The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.9 Part 3

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Lam 3:22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Rom 9:29  And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

I wanted to point out the “whosoever,” because the verse supports that concept by stating that in mount Zion (parched, sepulcher – or monument of (dead) relics) as well as in Jerusalem (vision of praise) shall be deliverance. God will go among the spiritually living as well as the spiritually dead to get His remnant. He can deliver in both arenas, so there is no one that is out of his reach, and none that are unredeemable.

Mat 7:14 Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Isa 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

The above scripture is a cross reference, but again, my eye was caught by this: “upon him that smote,” so I looked up the meaning.

1) to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill

a) (Niphal) to be stricken or smitten

b) (Pual) to be stricken or smitten

c) (Hiphil)

1) to smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust

2) to smite, kill, slay (man or beast)

3) to smite, attack, attack and destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage

4) to smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy

d) (Hophal) to be smitten

1) to receive a blow

2) to be wounded

3) to be beaten

4) to be (fatally) smitten, be killed, be slain

5) to be attacked and captured

6) to be smitten (with disease)

7) to be blighted (of plants)

There are some pretty strong words in this mix. Obviously, only one does this sort of damage; the enemy. Even the word scourge is here; the same as was used in reference to Christ’s beating.

If you find yourself in a position that seems or feels like any of the words mentioned here, don’t give up hope. Your faith will save you. There is a destruction that is necessary, but love will be the end result. Just don’t give up.

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

God is merciful and elected or chose to give us grace. He will bring deliverance and salvation to whatever area of struggle you are having. Cling to His hand; don’t let go. The test is your faith, not your walk. Peace.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.9 Part 2

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

One thing I’m seeing now, as opposed to when I first looked at this verse, is the fact that it says, “We should have been as…” I originally thought this said, “We would have been,” because that is what stood out in my mind at the time; but see, this is why people need to learn to read what it actually says as opposed to what they perceive. Yeah, I’m an example on that one of what not to do.

The reason that this caught my attention again now, is that saying that, “We would have been,” is different from saying, “We should have been.” The word “would” is indicative of something that would have happened whether we had control of the situation of not, whether they had sinned or not. Therefore, the use of “would” would have absolved them from responsibility.

In other words, the word “would” seems to indicate that the “we” here had no control of the situation either way, which is true. Only through God’s grace was the remnant spared, because just like with the flood, He had the option of scrapping the entire thing and starting over. He didn’t.

The word “should” here, indicates that there is the recognition that becoming like Sodom or Gomorrah would have been justified, or that they deserved it, in accordance to their sin.

Sodom = “burning”

1) a Canaanite city, usually paired with Gomorrah, located in the area of the Dead Sea and the Jordan river; both cities destroyed by God in judgment

Gomorrah = “submersion”

1) the twin-city in evil with Sodom, both destroyed in judgment by God with fire from heaven

a) of iniquity (fig.)

In looking at the definitions above of Sodom and Gomorrah, two things come to mind. First, according to the recognition of the fact that God exercised grace despite their sin and saved a remnant, Isaiah basically tells the people in this prophesy, that they deserve “burning” and “submersion.”

The other mind boggler for me lies in the fact that I was somewhat blown away when I found the definition of those two words. This is one of those things that make you go hmmm, because I’m the type that wanders outside the box to question stuff like this: Did the people of those territories know the meaning of the names of those cities? If so, how could they willingly live there?

In my mind, if I knew that a city I wanted to go to meant “burning” or “submersion;” I’d at least think twice and definitely pray before deciding to move there. I mean these names were prophetic. That’s pretty scary to live in a place with such a prophesy hanging over it according to the name.

People just don’t realize that the name of a thing can empower it or destroy it. Most laugh when I tell them that there is power in a name, so be careful what you allow people to name you. I see it repeatedly in scripture; the name dictated the life or the actions. People need to carefully consider what they bequeath upon their children by what they name them.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.9 Part 1

I did want to clear up something that I wrote in an earlier post, I think it was when I was in verse 7. I said something to the effect that “whatever these people did, nothing stopped their downward slide, or turned them away from it and back to God.”

I realized that at the time I was writing that, there had been a gap in the time of my study of this book, and so I had momentarily forgotten that I had already discovered the sin they had committed when I was studying about the four kings mentioned in the very first verse. So for anyone who wants to review that, you will need to go back to the first few verses to see their sin, part of which involved the worship of other gods.

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Jehovah = “the existing One”

1) the proper name of the one true God

Host:

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

a) army, host

1) host (of organized army)

2) host (of angels)

3) of sun, moon, and stars

4) of whole creation

b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

c) service                                                     

Not that I don’t know what a host is, but while checking on these word meanings, something stood out to me. First of all, the Lord of Hosts, which could mean the sun, moon and stars; or could mean the entire creation. So in thinking of that, if the Lord of Hosts is against you, man! That’s some army that is coming against you. Everything in creation…the “universe” as some would say, is working against you. Then again, looking at it in this vein, if God is for us…who can be against us? That scripture is certainly supported.

The other thing I noted is the word service. The Lord of Hosts is a Lord of service. That’s pretty wild to imagine. I mean think about it. The same Lord of Hosts…of the sun, moon and stars, as well as all creation, is a Lord of service? Pretty mind-boggling if you ask me, but there it is.

The last thing in this definition that caught my attention is the words (host) “of organized army.” He’s the Lord of Hosts – of an “organized” army. Just the idea of that is cool. I so need organization in my life, so just knowing that God is the Lord of an “organized” Host; whether that be His army, the sun, moon, stars or all of creation, which, I must say, is highly organized and well put together; is such a great thing.

Had left:

1) to be left over, remain, remain over, leave

a) (Qal) remainder (participle)

b) (Niphal) to be left over, remain over, be left behind

c) (Hiphil)

1) to leave over, leave

2) to save over, preserve alive

3) to excel, show pre-eminence

4) to show excess, have more than enough, have an excess

What caught my attention in this definition is the words “show pre-eminence” and “to show excess,” and “have more than enough” and “have an excess.”

That means then, that the small remnant that was left was perhaps, the cream of the crop, and more than enough to address or continue the work that God wanted done by these people. On the flip side, it seems like those others who suffered and died weren’t necessary or important, yet every life has value because even in suffering for their sins it serves to teach us what not to do.

The main idea I caught here though, is that God doesn’t need much to accomplish His initiatives. He can dismiss the majority for a fraction and still produce the line of the King of Kings.

Remnant:

1) survivor, remnant, that which is left

a) survivor

It’s really good to know that God had a contingency plan. Just the fact that He planned for survivors as opposed to just allowing the people to totally be annihilated, means that He never completely gives up on us. Since love is destruction and destruction is love, (meaning each contains the other) one could say this is almost demonstrative of a principle or pattern that God moves in.

There are things in our lives that are destructive to us, and even to others. Some of those things we may be aware of and some we may not be. Some things occur in our lives that may surprise or even shock us depending on the nature of the event, and our perception of the event; but no matter which way we perceive the situation, the purpose of God is always to expose and destroy the sin in us, so that the love in us will grow.

We can get caught up in the perception of others and cause ourselves much unnecessary grief and shame, or…we can just take it to God, and give Him time to work it out in us and clean up the mess we inevitably make of virtually every situation we attempt to address on our own.

Some situations catch us off guard even if we are in the word, because God is proving us on some ground that we didn’t expect. Sometimes we don’t expect to get proven on ground we’ve already been tested on, and passed (on more than one occasion), so our guard is down in that area, and then before you know it, there’s the same test again within a different arena and with a different set of variables.

It’s a kick in the pants to be caught off guard like that, because then you can slip and feel like you’ve failed the test. But the reality is, the test is not about whether or not we slip, but what happens to our faith if we slip. God wants obedience, but He’s not really focused on our screw-ups because He created us then placed us in a (screwed up) sin-filled form – the clay from this earth that had been damaged, darkened, and basically thrown into chaos prior to God’s renewal of it. That darkness is then inherent in both the clay and us.

So if we are thrown into a situation that causes us chaos on some level or another, the key is to cling to God with your faith. Even if you are failing morally, physically, financially, or any other way including spiritually; as long as you don’t let go of God, He will not let go of you. If you communicate with Him (try to be consistent with it, even in the midst of your mess), He will (in time) pull you out of whatever the situation may be.

1Pe 5:10 (RSV) And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. 

There will be destruction on some level, but…there will also be a remnant or something that survives, and that something is more than sufficient for God’s purposes. Your life can and will still have purpose. God is in the business of restoration, and also in taking what society deems as “throwaways,” and making a success of them through and for His purposes. Never give up. Cling to His hand and never give up.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.8 Part 2

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

A cottage, per the dictionary is a small house. A lodge is described as a cabin or cottage used as a temporary shelter.

Some biblical dictionary definitions are as follows:

Cottage: ( 1.) A booth in a vineyard ( Isa 1:8); a temporary shed covered with leaves or straw to shelter the watchman that kept the garden. These were slight fabrics, and were removed when no longer needed, or were left to be blown down in winter ( Job 27:18).

( 2.) A lodging-place ( in Isa 1:8); a slighter structure than the “booth,” as the cucumber patch is more temporary than a vineyard (Isa 24:20). It denotes a frail structure of boughs supported on a few poles, which is still in use in the East, or a hammock suspended between trees, in which the watchman was accustomed to sleep during summer.

Where the watchman was accustomed to sleep? I thought the watchman was supposed to be on the job? This could also denote that Israel was not watching their own gates or over their garden so to speak.

Cucumbers: ( Heb. plur. kishshuim; only in Num 11:5). This vegetable is extensively cultivated in the East at the present day, as it appears to have been in earlier times among the Hebrews. It belongs to the gourd family of plants. In the East its cooling pulp and juice are most refreshing. “We need not altogether wonder that the Israelites, wearily marching through the arid solitudes of the Sinaitic peninsula, thought more of the cucumbers and watermelons of which they had had no lack in Egypt, rather than of the cruel bondage which was the price of these luxuries.”

Gardens were surrounded by hedges of thorns ( Isa 5:5) or by walls of stone ( Pro 24:31). “Watch-towers” or “lodges” were also built in them ( Isa 1:8; Mar 12:1), in which their keepers sat. On account of their retirement they were frequently used as places for secret prayer and communion with God ( Gen 24:63; Mat 26:30-36; Jhn 1:48; 18:1,2). The dead were sometimes buried.

This is interesting considering the “parched (and withered) monument to dead relics” that I found in the meaning of “daughter of Zion.”

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

So here is this parched monument to the dead sitting in a vineyard like a cottage; and as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers. In other words, here is Israel, the spiritually parched, dead monument or sepulcher that is sitting in the midst of a flourishing vineyard or a garden of cucumbers, which contain not only life, but the living water they need.

They sit at watch over this living water; this garden of refreshment and life, but they’re position is temporal. A cottage in a vineyard and a lodge in a garden is a temporary shelter for the watchman. A watchman is there but for a specified time, and then the changing of the guard occurs.

So what this is looking like or sounding like to me; is that Israel, the daughter of Zion, will have that position of being in the midst of the garden of life but for a time, and then they will be moved out of the position because they are dead relics and are oblivious to where they are and the position they were placed in.

Again, this is subjective, and I’m telling you what I see and understand at this moment. However, my understanding and perspective rise from the place I’m at and what God wants me to see in this moment in time. I may look at this again at a later moment in time, and see a bit more or a bit less or even something else entirely. It just depends on what God is trying to demonstrate to me and through me at that moment.

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

As a besieged city, means they are captives. The dictionary definition of besiege means to hem in or surround with hostile forces. Additionally, in the definition above of gardens, it mentioned that many times they were surrounded by thorns, hedges or walls and stones.

So Israel is hemmed in by hostile forces in a garden where they sit like a sepulcher of dead relics among a lush, fully water-filled garden that they apparently take no advantage of. Their position in this garden of living water is temporary and will change like the watchmen change shifts.

The hostile forces are without, ready and waiting; and they sit in the very garden that will sustain them, parched spiritually, and like the dead. Wow.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.8 Part 1

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

This is interesting. The word daughter has the following connotations:

1) daughter

a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin

1) as polite address

2) as designation of women of a particular place

3) as personification

4) daughter-villages

5) description of character

2) young women, women

And then look at the meaning of Zion.

Zion = “parched place”

1)  another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books

Now, I already knew this was another name for Jerusalem, which means “vision of peace.”

What has caught my attention here, is the seemingly obvious contrasts in meaning. Looking beyond the standard meaning of daughter to some of the more detailed definitions here, we find a designation in the reference to “women” of a particular place, as a personification and description of character.

That’s pretty deep because when you connect it with Zion; you see an entirely different thing than a “vision of peace.” Daughter of a “parched place?” How could this same “daughter” be a “vision of peace?”

I see this as synonymous with us as people. I think this speaks of how God sees us, versus where we actually are at or how we see ourselves. God sees Israel as a “vision of peace,” but, how is Israel walking? They are walking like a “daughter of a “parched place,” which says to me that they are lacking the water of the word. They aren’t feeding enough on God and His word…nor on His spirit, but they are catering to their own.

And I could be wrong, but it seems to me, per my recollection, that we only see the words “daughter of Zion” when the prophets are lamenting their spiritual condition, and are foretelling the hardship they will go through as a result of turning away from God.

Zion: monument; raised up; sepulcher (from Hitchcock’s)

Then again, Hitchcock’s gives it the definition above. Looking at it from this perspective I had to look up sepulcher just to ensure that I really understood the meaning. I don’t like analyzing off of a word in which I only have an idea of the meaning.

Sepulcher, according to the dictionary is a burial vault, or a receptacle for sacred relics. In other words, it’s a house of the dead. Wow. That kicks this up even more. I had no idea that is what Zion means.

Between the two meanings I found, I’m stunned. I’m just thinking of all those “Sing oh daughter of Zion” songs. They are coming back to me with a slightly different spin.

So in other words, the daughter of Zion is a character analogy of a parched (and withered) monument to dead relics. Whoa. No wonder the prophets used this term so frequently in lamenting the condition of Israel.