Sermon on Isaiah 29:17-24, for the 12th Sunday after Trinity (1 Yr Lectionary), "God's Mighty Reversals"

Sermon Outline: 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

·         Isaiah 29—miracles of Jesus’ ministry. 700 years before Jesus. Example of the miracles in the Gospel reading—heal the deaf and mute.

·         Prophecy > fulfillment shows the Bible is God’s inspired Word

·         deaf hear, blind see, the meek and the poor rejoicing in the Lord. Reversals of injustice, suffering, oppression.

·         Reversals go beyond the suffering, to also oppressors >> ruthless come to nothing; scoffer ceases; all who watch to do evil, cut off

·         Take a sample at any age in history, and find suffering and injustice—different kinds, but ultimately the same. Progress in some ways, regress in others.

·         Isaiah’s day—Judah soon to be destroyed. All the surrounding region. Spiritually deaf and blind, they won’t look at or hear God’s Word. God’s judgment will fall on them. How useful to the devil when we are spiritually blind and deaf! When we won’t listen to God’s Word, we too face judgment. But this passage turns to the restoration, when that judgment has passed.

·         Read v. 17—Lebanon. See other verses in Is. 2:13, Zech. 11:1-2; proud, majestic forests leveled. Think of National Parks—Redwoods, Sequoias, symbolic national treasure. Destroyed, razed. Now 29:17 is the reversal. God restoring what was devastated.

·         Fruitful field > forest? So lush and rich in growth, not just a farm field, but back to the glory of a forest. God doesn’t stop with a little growth, but turns the wasteland to abundance

·         V. 18 deaf shall hear words of a book. videos of First time hearing or seeing—stunned emotion, tears of joy—hearing the voice of mom or friends, leave silence and enter the world of music and sound or color and sight. “out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.” Situation of blind and deaf are much improved today in 1^st world, but in 3^rd world countries it is often a sentence for early death, poverty or great suffering. In Jesus’ day, what joy! (v. 19) Some of the greatest rejoicing in the Lord now and in the past, comes from the poor and the meek! How little those who are full and have everything remember to be thankful!

·         No one cares for the meek and the poor quite like God does. Commentator said that if all the odds in the world seem in favor of the corrupt and violent, that is the fault of the oddsmakers, because God is on the side of the powerless who trust in Him (Oswalt).

·         V. 20-21 describe oppressors and reversal that God works against them. 

·         Ruthless—those oppressors who heartlessly squeeze the weak to extract what they can from them; scoffer—mocks truth, honor, and decency, and delights to serve himself at the cost of others; all who watch to do evil—political and judicial authorities on the lookout for ways to use their power to prey on the innocent

·         “All who watch to do evil shall be cut off

§  By a word make a man out to be an offender (false accusations, slander)

§  Lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate (stop the righteous man from intervening against evil)

o   With an empty plea, turn aside him who is in the right (deny justice to the innocent)

·         We can see all these today—seeming imbalance of justice and injustice. It will all be overturned—not just future, but God’s promise is that the way of the wicked will not prosper or succeed. No lasting joy or peace for them. Wicked are consumed by fear, uncertainty, loss. The believer has certainty, trust, and gain in God, whether their fortunes in life are good, modest, or poor. Our hope does not ride on the tides of life, but on God our Rock. Our reward is not merely physical but spiritual. The Truth of God’s Word brings the ruthless, the scoffer, and the evil to nothing.

·         The first words on the lips of Christians who see the suffering of the world needs to be “Lord, have mercy!” not “There ought to be a law!” Blessed is the one whose help is in the Lord. He is the one who executes true justice for the poor and oppressed, the little people and the great people. He brings the ways of the wicked to ruin (Phil Brandt)

·         Jesus ministry= beginning of reversals—healing miracles as sign. Mt. 11, John the Baptist sends messengers? Are you the One? Jesus says watch—all the signs prophesied by Isaiah and more are fulfilled. Jesus fits the job description + more. Blind, deaf, lame, lepers, dead, poor, all experience reversals at Jesus’ hand. He is the One to restore justice.

·         Result of Jesus’ redemption, according to v. 22-24: no more shame for Israel—instead, rejoicing. Cf. Luther’s Small Catechism, expl. to 3^rd Article of Creed. What does the Holy Spirit do? Calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Jacob, the great grandfather of the Israelites sees his children gathered together, sanctified (made holy) in God’s name. They are the work of God’s hands. His creation, His redeemed, His sanctified. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

·         What do they do? They praise God’s name and stand in awe!

·         Wandered from the faith, return to learn. Complainers come to instruction. God restores the lost. God’s Great Reversals all through history. Odds seem stacked against His people, but He’s always with the powerless who trust in Him. We are the church of God, the children who are the work of His hands, and we have seen in the past, and in our present, and still hope to see many Great Reversals at the hand of God—reversals of lifting up the humble, and bringing low and defeating the wicked. Lord, have mercy! Amen.

Sermon Talking Points

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1.      Read Isaiah 29:17-24. Look at this description of a great “reversal” that God is going to bring about. Two main groups are described—those who are humble and suffering, and the proud and the wicked. How are each described? What reversal of their fortunes will they experience?

2.      The forests or cedars of Lebanon were a well-known landmark and symbol of glory, pride, and majesty. Isaiah 2:12-13; 10:34; 37:24, and Zechariah 11:1-2 all talk about this forest being leveled. But Isaiah 29:17 talks about the reverse—the glory and fruitfulness of fields returning until they are as great as a forest. What does this say about the flourishing of God’s kingdom? How does this happen?

3.      Read vs. 18-19 and compare to Matthew 11:5-6. How does Jesus fulfill these words of prophecy, along with Isaiah 35:5-6; 61:1? What does Jesus do that is even more than described here? Who puts their trust in God, and why won’t they be disappointed?

4.      What are the examples of the sins of the arrogant and wicked? V. 20-21. How do we see these today? What is frustrating about the progress of evil? But what is their final end? Psalm 73:16-19, 27.

5.      In Luther’s Small Catechism, the explanation of the 3^rd Article of the Creed, he describes the work of the Holy Spirit in this way: [The Holy Spirit] “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” How is this description paralleled in Isaiah 29:23-24. How does the Spirit make the church come alive? How do they respond?

6.      Describe the Great Reversal theme in this passage one more time—reflecting on how God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is active in this reversal.