Isaiah 17
I (1-39) Condemnation
A. Chapters 1-12 - Prophecies against Judah
B. Chapters 13-23 - Prophecies against the Nations
1. \\#13:1-14:23\\ Babylon
2. \\#14:23-27\\ Assyria
3. \\#14:29-32\\ Palestina
4. \\#15:1-16:14\\ Moab
5. \\#17:1-14\\ Syria and Israel (northern kingdom)
a. \\#1-5\\ These are the general prophesies of destruction and hard
times which were mostly fulfilled when Assyria came down.
(1) \\#1, 3\\ While the burden is addressed to Damascus \\#1\\, the
capital of Syria, God is also addressing Ephraim, a predominant
tribe of the northern kingdom. \\#Is 15:4, 22:1-14\\
(2) Since the judgment is nearly identical and these two nations are
neighbors, God allows His words to the one to overlap to the
other.
(3) \\#1\\ Yet, all of this prophecy has not been completely
fulfilled. Modern-day Damascus lays some claim to being the
original city of Damascus (Through the Bible, Vol 22, Is 17:1);
but \\#1\\ describes it has being left a "ruinous heap." If
all of this prophecy is not fulfilled, it because a dual
reference prophecy which probably will be fulfilled in the end
time.
(4) \\#3\\ "The fortress also shall cease" - Is a reference to
Israel (and Syria) being totally and soundly defeated.
(5) \\#4-5\\ Both a spiritual analogy (their glory being made thin)
and a physical one (harvestmen gathering all he can carry) are
made to illustrate the degree of devastation God will bring
upon the land.
(6) Assyria carried Israel (and probably Syria) into captivity, but
Judah was not; hence, Judah is not mentioned in this section.
b. \\#6-8\\ Even so, God will show some semblance of mercy to Israel
by not removing every single Jew from the land.
(1) Those that remain will make up the Samaritans in Jesus’ day.
(2) \\#7-8\\ These verses also appear to be unfulfilled. Perhaps
there was some token of revival in Israel when it was destroyed
but it isn’t mentioned in the Scriptures. More than likely,
this is a prophecy to be fulfilled in the future as the anti-
Christ sweeps across Israel.
c. \\#9-11\\ The reason for Israel’s judgment is that they have forsaken
"the God of thy salvation and" have "not been mindful of the rock
of thy strength."
d. \\#12-14\\ In the end, God will also judge those who judge Israel.
These enemy nations are the "multitude of many people."
(1) This may also be dual-reference in nature, making reference to
the nations that come against Israel in the end time.
(2) God did destroy Assyria due to her pride, and God will certainly
destroy anti-Christ’s endtime army of nations.
(3) \\#14\\ speaks of the quick destruction of those who would
trouble Israel. They are there to trouble in the "evening" but
in the "morning," they are gone.
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