“The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy. Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west. In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.”
Isaiah 27:11-13 NLT
Isaiah chapters 24-27 form a prophecy some have called the “Isaiah Apocalypse”, and he wrote it around 700 BC. Isaiah is now bringing it to an end by prophesying the return of the exiles from captivity. This happened in three waves: the first with Zerubbabel in 538 BC, the second around 458 BC led by Ezra the Scribe, and the third and final return with Nehemiah in 445 BC. In a time of increasing national instability through the incursions of the Assyrian armies, it is extraordinary that Isaiah could see such an event in the future, but, of course, we know he was led in his writings by the Holy Spirit, as God revealed the future to him.
In the first chapter of the Book of Ezra, we read how God used a heathen king to do His will. Ezra 1:1-2, “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah“. He granted permission for any exiles who desired it to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and Ezra 2 lists all those who made the journey, and they numbered over 42,000. This was the first wave led initially by Sheshbazzar, and, once the exiles had returned, Zerubbabel continued with organising the rebuilding of the Temple.
God then used a second heathen king, Artaxerxes, to commission another return, this time led by Ezra. The king blessed the returning exiles with all sorts of donations, and in his letter of instructions, the king wrote, “Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons?” (Ezra 7:23). Around 5,000 men and their families returned at this time.
Artaxerxes was still on the throne when Nehemiah journeyed to Jerusalem a few years after Ezra, and it is believed others returned with him at the same time, although no records exist of who these were. But in the three waves, God’s prophecy through Isaiah, “Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west” (Isaiah 27:12), was fulfilled. That is how much God loved His people, a love that went to extraordinary lengths to purge their sins.
What key messages does Isaiah 27 offer us pilgrims? We started the chapter with a reference to Leviathan, a terrifying, uncontrollable sea monster representing chaos. We read more about this monster in the Book of Revelation, identifying the sea monster as a serpent or dragon, representing Satan. For us pilgrims today, this serves as a reminder that no matter how overwhelming or chaotic the world feels, evil operates on borrowed time. God’s final victory is already guaranteed. I am reminded this morning about the Apostle Paul, under house arrest, chained to Roman guards as he awaited his final fate. His world up until then had been anything but peaceful, and we can read the list of what he had to endure in 2 Corinthians 11. And yet, in Philippians 1, we read how he rejoiced over the preaching of the Gospel, and he wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21). The world around him was oppressed by evil. It was chaotic and unstable, but Paul lived in a haven of peace and joy. No sea monster would ever affect Paul. Nothing would disturb his joy and peace.
Back in Isaiah 27, we read about the vineyard, as an analogy for God’s people, and how the Lord watches over it, weeding out the briars and thorns. That took us to John 15, and the importance for us pilgrims to live our lives connected to the Vine, who is Jesus. And, more, we read how God’s people would “blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit”. Pilgrims who are connected to the Vine will inevitably produce the Galatians 5 fruit of the Holy Spirit. I can remember a preacher in the late 1970’s, at a Bible conference, pointing out to the people gathered that they were producing plenty of “leaves” but no “fruit”. In other words, all the froth and bubble, the excesses of the Charismatic Renewal, was pointless unless the Holy Spirit fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”, could be found growing within them as well.
Also in Isaiah 27, Isaiah pointed out that God’s disciplining His people is vastly different from His destruction of evil. When we pilgrims experience seasons of suffering or spiritual “pruning” (John 15), is it not a sign of God’s displeasure? Instead, like a wise gardener, God uses these moments to deconstruct any modern-day idols that we have allowed into our lives (” … all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing”), and prompt deep and genuine repentance.
Finally, Isaiah 27 ends with a trumpet blast. What started as a localised promise to Israel ultimately points to the global body of believers filling the earth with the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel. Additionally, the chapter concludes with a “great trumpet” sounding to gather the outcasts and the perishing (Isaiah 27:13). This foreshadows the final, inclusive gathering of believers from every tribe and nation to worship God together.
Isaiah 27 offers much to guide us pilgrims, but the call is to remain connected to the Vine, Jesus Himself. There is no other way for His people, because Jesus is the Way. The only Way. Is that a trumpet I can hear? Probably not, but an angel will be holding one in his hands, ready and waiting.
Dear Lord Jesus. You are the Way, the Truth and Life, and this is the foundation of our lives as pilgrims in this evil world. Not for us the strange ideologies that have permeated our societies, leaving a people who have lost their God-given compass in life. Keep us near You, we pray. This day and forever. Amen.
