Isaiah - Lesson 5

Dr. John Oswalt

Isaiah

ot650-05

Can You Trust Yahweh?

Lesson Transcript

We're looking at the third division of the Book of Isaiah. I have called it Trust the Basis of Servant Hood. The division opens with the section that I have called children Signs of the Promise, and that's chapter seven, verse one through chapter nine, verse seven. Here in this part of the book, we're seeing the foundation being laid for that service to which God is going to specifically call His people. In chapters 4248 and empower them for that service. In chapters 49 through 55. But here the question is, can we really trust Yahweh? Can we trust this invisible God whom we cannot touch? We can't. Where we cannot measure? Can we really lay our lives into his hands? You'll remember that Ahaz is facing a terrific crisis. Not only is the great empire of Assyria threatening from the Northeast, but closer than that, his two northern neighbors, Israel, the three quarters of the children of Abraham that is separated from Judah and Syria, or Aram, as it's called in the Bible, are threatening to depose him and force Judah into a coalition with them against Assyria. And here is Isaiah. Daring him to trust your way. What a what a frightening condition for a has. And I don't want to minimize that. We can sometimes suggest that. Well, goodness gracious, it has just should have toughed it out and trusted God. Let's look at our own lives sometimes when we're faced with difficult and critical decisions. And the challenge is wait for him. Wait for him to take the action that will, in fact, deliver us. That's not an easy proposition, especially. When Isaiah says, I'll give you a sign that God can be trusted. And the son is a child. A child born when you look out into the future.

Of a virgin. No, I don't need a child. I need I need a monster, man. I need somebody who can come and attack my enemies and set me free in a very clear and evident way. Again, if you look at your own life, you know that God enjoys doing things in the ways we don't expect. I have said many times to students, if you try to put God into a box of your making, I can guarantee you'll get one thing a broken box. So it is here that children. Ah, what God is offering. So. Isaiah has told Ahaz since you won't trust your way and have put your trust in Assyria, your worst enemy, the day will come when Assyria will be at your door. The day will come when your enemy. Your beloved enemy will be set to destroy you. Isaiah then has talked with us about what God said to him about, Look, don't believe people when they say history is in the control of conspiracies. Don't believe that it's not true. History is in the control of your way. Make him. Make him your dread. If you're going to dread something. And he'll be a sanctuary to you. Otherwise, he'll be a stumbling block that you constantly fall over. Again how appropriate that is to our day. Your way can be your sanctuary into which you can run for protection and safety and hope. Or you're just constantly going to be falling over him. You perhaps won't recognize what it is you're falling over, but it's him. And so Isaiah says, I'm going to have to wait. I'm going to have to give this message. I'm going to have to give to give it as faithfully as truly as I can. Knowing.

It's not going to have any effect on this generation except to drive them farther away. But I'm going to be faithful and I'm going to give it to my disciples. We are signs. I and my children, my disciples. Signs of God's faithfulness in this day and time. That brings us to chapter eight, verse ten. Excuse me. Than that brings us to chapter eight, verse 18. So if we will not. Choose God. If we will choose anything else, what will happen? Look at chapter eight, verse 19. When someone tells you to consult mediums and spirit ists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God's instruction and the testimony warning If anyone doesn't speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land. When they're finished, they'll become enraged and looking upward will curse their king and their God. And then they'll look toward the earth down and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom. And they'll be thrown into utter darkness. Another of these choices that Isaiah gives us. Will you choose the light? Will you choose the light of God's word? Will you choose the light of God's prophetic instruction? Will you choose the light of depending on him? If you won't, you're going to be plunged into darkness. There it is. And again, how graphic Isaiah is. They'll look up and curse the king and God and they'll look down and see only darkness again. Doesn't that speak to you of our own day? Oh, it's the president's fault. Whoever the president happens to be. It's God's fault. What kind of a God would allow a world where there's so much evil? In my life.

What do I see? I see darkness. The. The. Geometric rise of suicide among teenagers in our society is heartbreaking darkness. They see nothing but darkness on their device. Costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars. What does their device tell them? You're worthless. You're no good. Your ugly. Rejecting the light, we have plunged ourselves into darkness. But and this is so easy. But look at chapter nine, verse one. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. That's our God. Our God doesn't say. Okay, you made your choice. Good for you. That's that. No, no. Our God says you have plunged yourself into gloom. But I don't want to leave you there. I want you. I want you to experience my light. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. Now. Again, the historical notes running through here are very significant. When take life pleasure. The third took down Damascus in 732. He didn't stop. He kept coming and he basically took all of Galilee. That is everything north of the Jezreel Valley. Zebulon and the land of Naftali. But in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the way, of the sea, beyond the Jordan. Where was Jesus ministry? Largely in Galilee. The Jews of Samaria called it Galilee of the Gentiles. That's where those those mixed races live. They're not thankful. They like us, the pure, the purebred ones. And that's where Jesus ministry was there. Where in Ahab's time, the darkness began. That's the place where the light comes. Isn't that like, God? Isn't that like him? In the very place? There he comes. Not with judgment now, with condemnation, but with hope. So I say what I've said before, and you'll hear it many times before.

We're done with this series. God's intended last word is never destruction. It may be his last word, but that's our choice. His choice is that the destruction, the darkness, the consequences that we have reaped in our lives will, in fact, bring us to the place where he can shed his light upon us. And the light, the light of hope, the light of joy. So then what is this light? And that brings us to. One of the more famous passages in the book. The people walking in darkness have seen a great blight on those living in the land of deep darkness. A light has dawned. Yes. Yes. Do you see the connection between these opening verses of Chapter nine and the closing versus of Chapter eight? They go together, they're inseparable. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy. They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder, as in the day of minions defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders and the rod of their oppressors. I like to say to students, Look at the pronouns. Do you see them here? Chapter verse three. You have enlarged the nation. And increased their joy. They rejoice before you. They rejoice before you. And then in verse four, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders. You. And they. You and them. Yes. Yes. God. Is the supreme actor on the stage of history. God is the one who has at work. And when we come to realize that when we make that an effective part of our thinking in our lives, it changes everything. No, they're not in charge. You are. They don't hold my destiny in their hands.

You do? And you are all powerful and all loving. And in those circumstances, we can face anything. So it is here. It's not the conspirators. It's not the great geopolitical rulers. It's you. And you have done this. And so every warriors boot used in battle, every garment rolled in. Blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. Because because a mighty man is going to show up and he's going to smash them all. That may be the living Oswald version, but it's not the Bible. For unto us. A child is more. A child. Another one of these children. God, we don't need babies. Yes, you do. And what this is all saying is the weakness of God is stronger than the greatest strength that our world can produce. A baby. A child. To us a son is given. Now, many critical scholars will say, oh, this is a reference to Hezekiah. No, it isn't. Look what is said about this child. Wonderful counselor. Hmm. Mighty God. Ever lasting Father. Prince of Peace. That's Hezekiah. No. No. No Israelite king. No matter how corrupt. Succeeded in calling himself God conceded was able to call himself the father of the nations. And it's fascinating to me that in paganism. You've got the king and the queen. The God of heaven and the goddess of Earth. You've got the prince and the princess and the prince and the princess are the ones that really get things done. So in Kanan, it's El and Shera. Bale and Arnot. And then under them is the magician, the court counselor, who's able to make things happen. Did you see this? Who is this person? He's the father. That's El. He's the counselor. That's what this. And he's the prince.

That's bail. This child is going to incorporate in himself everything that the Pagans thought they could find in the various levels of deity. I say again, this is not Hezekiah. Who are we talking about? And he comes. In utter helplessness. Now, I used to say that he comes in innocence. But that was before I had children. I don't think children are innocent. But what are we talking about? We're talking about that absolute, trusting, unselfconscious character of the child. Oh, don't misunderstand me. This child was indeed innocent. But the point I think that's being made is not all that we adults think of as power. Wise, self-conscious. Self-absorbed. No. Unto us. A child is born. Oh, again, we look across the years at the child in the manger. And yes, there it is. God's helplessness. God's weakness is stronger than all the strength of the world. The Roman Empire has been gone. For 1500 years. But Jesus lives. Unto us, a child is more. Over in chapter 40. The question will be asked who counseled the way in the creation of the world? And the answer, of course, is nobody. And here's the intimation of that. He doesn't need a court magician to make things happen. He doesn't need some wise old adviser. He himself in himself contains all wisdom. He himself is God. He himself. Is the father in paganism, the God, the Chief. God is the Father because all the other gods came from him. He generated them sexually. That's not what the biblical concept of Father is about. The biblical concept of Father is the one who knows his children, cares for them. Understands them. Hmm. And the prince. Oh. Who is bail? Bail is often depicted in the manner of the Egyptian god of war.

He is the God of the atmosphere. The thunderstorm. He has in his upraised hand. Excuse me. I'm left handed in his upraised hand. A mace. Bang the thunder. And then his left hand. He has lightning. Hmm. Yes. Yes. The Prince of power. What does this say? The Prince of Shalom. What is Shalom? Shalom is not merely cessation of conflict, which is what peace is pretty much limited to in the English language. Shalom is the idea of putting things together. This first sort of dawned on me when I realized that in the Hebrew Bible, when you pay your debt, you shalom it. What do you do? You have something here that is owed. And until it's paid, it's partial. When you pay it, you complete the deal. That's what Jesus is talking about when he says, My peace, I give unto you. Not as the world gives. All the world can ever possibly give you is temporary cessation of conflict. The child can put you together. Can make you whole. And you can have shalom in the midst of great conflict. In the midst of great trouble. You can be whole. Through the work of the child. Oh, this isn't Dale. This isn't the power of the thunderstorms smashing and crashing. This is the power to take the brokenness of our world, the brokenness of our lives, and put it together. Hmm. Sometimes people say to me, Do you think Isaiah understood all about Jesus that he was predicting? And my answer is, I don't think so. I do believe that when he met Jesus and Jesus said, Am I the one you were talking about? He said, Oh, yes. I'm not sure he fully understood all the implications of what he was saying, but the Holy Spirit did.

And I can imagine him perhaps as he spoke these words saying, What did I just say? Who's this child going to be? Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne. Okay. This is a son of David. This is a this is royalty. This child. Establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness. From that time on and forevermore. This is the new international version. It says the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. We don't use that word anymore. What's it saying? The passion. God is passionate about bringing this to pass. God is passionate about bringing His kingdom into existence. In your life. And mine. And in the world around us. The passion of the Lord of Heaven's armies will accomplish this. Let me say a word about justice and righteousness before I leave it. Before I leave this section. For us today. May I say it? Unfortunately, justice has become limited to fairness. And fairness means absolute equality. What you have, I have. If you've got more than me, that's not fair. That's unjust. That's not what biblical justice is about. Biblical justice is rooted in the idea that there is a divine order and there is a divine plan where everything fits together appropriately. It's interesting that the word that's often translated justice is the word mish pot. My sage Patti mish pot. The Bible says that Solomon built the temple according to its mish pot. According to its justice, according to his judgment. According to its pattern. According to that divine pattern for life. So when people are being treated oppressively cruelly, that's a violation of God's mission part. So in that sense, if we understand justice in that way, yes, yes, it's appropriate.

But the concept of justice and right is much, much more than merely legal equity. It is that sense that God brings to pass his divine order where each person is able to rise to their potential. Where each person is able to experience their own precious individual worth. Yes. Yes. If that's what you mean by justice. Yes. The Bible is deeply concerned. One more thought here in the Psalms, you will sometimes hear. Oh, give thanks. Rejoice for the judges coming. I don't normally do that. The judge shows up, I sort of quiver and shake. What are we talking about? We're not talking about the one who sits behind a dark desk in a black robe with a powdered wig and says, You're going to get it. We're talking about the one who comes to restore to the world. His marvelous, wonderful, gorgeous plan, the one who comes to my family to restore the order that he planned that he intends o give thanks for the judge is coming. So he says this child is going to be the one who establishes God's misbehaved, God's righteousness. God's right in the world. Okay. If you remember, we looked at that chart that I constructed. Where we begin in chapter six with it shall be burned. The Assyrians are trusted. Unbelievers are destroyed by Assyria, but yet the Messiah comes with grace. And light for darkness. Then on our chart, an arrow comes down and we see the next section. On the surface, it seems odd. We've had this wonderful revelation of the child and now beginning in chapter nine, verse eight. We come to a beautifully constructed poem in four stanzas. Each stanza ends with the same rather frightening refrain. The Lord has sent a message against Jacob.

It will fall on Israel. He's talking about the Northern kingdom here. All the people will know it. Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen. But we will rebuild with dress stone. The fig trees have been felled. Will replace them with cedars. But the Lord has strengthened reasons for those against them. That's the King of Damascus and has spurred their enemies on Arab means from the East, Philistines from the West have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away. His hand is still upraised. There's the refrain I was talking about. That ends each stanza. What we're seeing here in nine, eight through ten four is your ways moral law. And what is being displayed here is, folks, a Syria or Israel in Syria. They're not your problem. They're not the issue. That's not what you need to come to grips with. What you need to come to grips with is your always moral law. That's the issue. And the very first. Violation of Yahweh is moral law is arrogance. I'm God. I don't know whether you've noticed that or not, but I'm God. I'm in charge of the world. I rule the world. So the bricks are down. Fine. I'll rebuild or address stone. The big trees have been cut. Great. I'll replace them with beautiful cedars. Right through the book as we've talked already. And we'll talk some more. This. Human exaltation. Results in human humiliation. Divine exaltation. Results in human. Exaltation. Arrogance for all this. His anger is not turned away. His hand is still upraised. Now, in Hebrew, this is the hand. This is the palm. These are the fingers. This is the hand. So what's he saying? God's hand is still upraised.

Now, maybe it's not in a fist. Maybe it's a tie. Quando job. I don't know. But his hand is still upraised. It's not a Syria, it's not Israel or Syria that you've got to come to grips with. It's God's moral law. So what comes next then? The people have not returned in the verse 13. The people have not returned to him who struck them. Nor have they sought the Lord Almighty. So the Lord will cut off from Israel, both head and tail, palm branch and Reed in a single day. The elders and dignitaries are the head. The prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them. Those who are guided are led astray. Therefore, the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and the widows. For everyone is ungodly and wicked. Every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away. His hand is still upraised. What are we saying? Did they turn to the Lord for leadership? No. They turn to human leaders. And again, this is a theme that's going to run throughout the book, the folly of depending on human leaders. For your hope for your destiny. Absolutely stupid. Believing that some human leader can solve your problems. And again. Do we have to look very far in our own day? Oh, Trump will do it. No, no, no. Biden will do it. Neither of them will do it. To expect of any human being. That they do. What only the child can do is to doom that person to failure. And we've done it again and again. Oh, this guy. This guy will do it. Oh, this guy is an absolute bum. Arrogance. The folly of depending on human leaders.

Verse 18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire. It consumes briers and thorns. It sets the forest thickets ablaze. It rolls upward in a column of smoke by the wrath of the Lord Almighty. The land will be scorched. The people will be fuel for the fire. They will not spare one another. On the right, they'll devour and still be hungry. On the left, they'll eat and not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring. Manasa will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim, on Manasa. Together they will turn against Judah. Yes. The lack of any brotherly love. The lack of caring for one another. Under the pressure. The terrible pressure coming from the north. They will devour each other. Instead of. Linking together, as the proverb talks about. They will tear each other apart. For all this. His hand is still upraised. And finally, chapter ten, verses one through four. Well to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people and so forth. Legal injustice. So this little section here, which seems on the surface rather strange. I believe it is an integral part of Isaiah's argument. It is not a Syria, it is not Israel or Syria. That is the issue with which you must condemn. It is God's moral law. I think this is implied earlier in chapter eight when God said to Isaiah, don't believe this conspiracy theory. That's not the issue. Make him holy. Make him your dread and he'll be your sanctuary God and coming to terms with him and his life. That's the issue. And if you do. Things will change. And that's exactly what you see happening here. In chapter ten, verse five in our chart, we've come down to start a second column.

And here. The underlying chapter six word is. There will be a holy seed. A Syria is destroyed. Chapter ten, verse five. Woe to the Assyrian. The rod of my anger. In whose hand is the club of my wrath? I send him against a godless nation. I dispatch him against the people who anger me. Disease, loot and snatch plunder to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends. He doesn't intend to be the servant of Yahweh to punish the people of Israel. Oh, no. His purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. I say it again. God's purpose is not to destroy. Not his ultimate purpose. So what we see is, if you will come to grips with God and his moral law, then you'll know a Syria is only a tool in his hands. And Syria is as liable to that moral law as anybody else. And so you don't need to be afraid of this area. A Syria is going to be judged, a Syria is going to be called to account, and in the end, a Syria will go down. In a moment. Which is exactly what did happen. I suggested to you in an earlier lecture Assyria basically ran the world from the death of Solomon. 930 to about 630 B.C.. 300 years. A Syria was the issue with which you had to deal. And by 605 Assyria did not exist. 25 years. For some of us. The fall. Of the USSR was similar. If someone had said to us in 1985, in 1990, the USSR will not exist, we would have said, You are crazy. What have you been smoking? God is the ruler of the nations. And so here he says, I think in the light of the point of nine, eight through ten four, if you come to grips with God and his moral law.

Can a Syria do horrendous harm? Horrendous, evil, great, great tragedy across the world. Yes, yes, yes. But in the end, a Syria is not ultimate and you should not construct your life and your worldview as though the Assyrians were ultimate. So. Some beautiful pictures here. Serious says, Oh, man, I've been like the guy who grabs the eggs out of nests and nobody can stop him. And a serious says, I'm a mighty forest, and God says, I'm going to cut it all down. That takes us through. 1034. This picture of a series destruction. So what happens? First item in the column, a Syria destroyed. Next step believers restored from a Syria. That's what we see happening in this lovely picture in Chapter 11. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. As we talked earlier, the words are not precisely the same words, but surely the picture is the same that we saw at the end of Chapter six. What is the nation? The nation is a burned out stump. A field of burned out stumps. And here from one of those stumps comes a little green chute. Just breathe on it and it would wither and die. Here's that theme that we've seen all the way through chapters 9 to 12. God's weakness is stronger than the world strength. God is going to build a kingdom from a little chute. And very significantly. Well, we'll come back to this later. Very significantly, it is the spirit. That is at work in him. The wind. The breath. Hmm. The spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. Spirit of wisdom. Spirit of counsel. Spirit of knowledge. He'll delight. In the awesome, awesome love of God. He won't operate like all of the world oppressors that you have seen.

It'll be another story. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth. Hmm. Not like bail with that mace. No, no. With his words. Hmm. Hmm. Do you think God knew about Lagos before the Greeks knew about Lagos? I do. The word. The word. So we see this picture of a kingdom, a kingdom of peace. Key verse, verse nine. They will neither harm nor destroy. On all my holy mountain four the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, not the glory of God. That's interesting. And I don't think they're in conflict. But here it's knowledge as the waters cover the sea. Now I say that's a key verse because it's going to show up again word for word in chapter 65. Again, that committee that worked for 400 years, they really did a good job of coordinating stuff. I don't think so. I don't think so. I think it's a single mind and a single inspiration. So he sees the picture. This is you wouldn't trust a has and so you have destruction. But God doesn't purpose to destroy you. God purposes to bring His kingdom a kingdom of the child. Where it's not power. It's not force. It's not oppression. It's grace. It's mercy. It's faithfulness. It's truth. And so he says. Verse ten. In that day, the root of Jessie will stand as a banner. Here it is again. I mentioned it in a previous lecture. Banner shows up again and again in the book. About a half a dozen times. It'll you miss it sometimes, because translations will use another word flag or signal or something like that. But it's the same Hebrew word, the banner. Back in chapter five, God said, I'm going to run up a banner and call Assyria to come.

Destroy you. Mm hmm. Now what? The root of Jessie will be the banner, the flag. And the nations will rally to him. And his resting place will be glorious. Here's glory again. Solid. Real. Significant. Lasting. In that day, the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Kush, from Eland, from Babylonia. And this is what I say in my in my charge believers restored from Assyria. By whom? By the Prince of Peace. Verse 16. Here's another recurring theme in the book. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt Highway again almost a dozen times. Highway shows up in the book. God is long before our Latino invented the earth mover. God. Envisions this superhighway. Mountains level valleys filled and God's people streaming home. Yes. So the whole thing wraps up with chapter 12, this beautiful little hymn, six verses long. And I want to call your attention to it. In that day. Hmm. That day when the highway has been built. I will. Praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me. Your anger has turned away. And you have Now the word that is used here is comforted. That's not wrong, but it misses the real flavor of the word for us in English today. Comfort is warm fuzzies. Oh, you've wrapped me up in a nice, cozy shawl. No. In 1611, comfort meant to strengthen. And we've carried it across from the King James. But in the 500 years since the King James. The word has changed its meaning when God comforts us. He encourages us. He gives us steel in our backbones.

He comes alongside with his arm around our shoulders and says, Come on, baby, let's go. Does God say baby? Well, I don't know. But anyway, come on, let's go. Comfort my people, tell them they can get up from their couches, they can get up from lying in the ditch. They can get up and go, Oh. Your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. No, you're not trash. You're not shameful. You're my child. Get up. Let's go. Surely God is my salvation. Here's the word. I will trust and be not afraid. The Lord himself is my strength and my song. And I've has has played with it a bit here and says my defense. I think the older translations have got it right. He is my strength, he is my song, and he has become my salvation. That's a three point sermon. Friends with Joy. You will draw water from the wells of salvation in that day. Here comes the second part of the hymn you will say. Give praise to the Lord. Proclaim his name. Make known among the nations what he has done. Proclaim that his name, not mine, is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things. Remember what I said about glory? Let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy. People of Zion for great is the holy one of Israel among you? Do you see what I'm trying to say here? Mission. Mission. You were angry with me. But you forgave my anger and said, Get up. Come on, let's go. I'm going to trust a God like that. And what am I going to do? I'm going to tell the world. I've met the Holy one of Israel. I've met the God who forgives and restores and renews.

Oh, my goodness. You need to meet him. That's what this book is about. Starting back there in chapter two. All the nations were going to flood to the mountain of the house of the Lord to learn his Torah and to learn how to walk in his ways. So in chapters 7 to 12, we see the results of failure to trust but God's plan not to leave people there. To bring them to the place where as a result of his undeserved grace. They'll say, I trust you. And I'm going to be part of your mission to the world. So you were saying that the challenge that Isaiah is bringing to Ahaz is to trust in the Lord rather than the countries around them, Assyria or Israel or. Yes, any of those things. So in chapter nine. Yeah. And then in Chapter 11, it talks about the child and the root of Jessie and things like that. And we see those as messianic. Yes. Is the challenge to ahaz to trust in the Lord, even though it's something that he doesn't see as powerful at the time? Absolutely. So. So there's a challenge to him at that particular time. Yes. But we can also see those as messianic. And then that's where Chapter 12 ends up, too. Yes. Yes. Yes, I think that's exactly right. I think that's exactly right. He he basically says, trust the Lord. He's going to give us Emmanuel. He's going to give us a child. Why would I trust a God like that? So. Yeah. Yeah. But that child from 714 on has implications out into the future as well. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Robby, you mentioned in when you were discussing Chapter 11, after Syria is destroyed, we see a picture of peace.

Yes. And I have a two part question. Is that picture of peace a predictive prophecy of the new heavens and new Earth? And in my other the other part of my question is, in chapter 12, twice, he says in that day, you will say is is in that day a technical term? Is that or is that referring to the messianic period in the first century, would you say? If I could answer that, I'd be a very famous man. And let me respond to the first question. I think so. I think that it is it is a reference to the messianic kingdom. Now, whether those things will be fulfilled literally in that way, a baby is going to play over a snake's hole. I'm not so sure of that. But I do think it's a it's a way of expressing a reality that will be characteristic of his kingdom, that there will be no oppressive hatred. There will be no destructive violence. So. Yes, Yes, I do think it's pointing that now in that day, the phrase appears several times in the book. You may remember it showed up back there in the end of chapter three and the beginning of four. In that day, seven women will take hold of one man and say, and then in verse two, in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious. So there's been a lot of discussion about just exactly what does he mean in using that. It seems to me that it's a fairly indefinite first verse or chapter four in 701, when all of the fortified cities of the nations have been taken, when Lachish is about to fall, when Jerusalem is besieged in that day, seven women are going to say to one man, Let us marry you.

Then the next verse. In that day, the branch of the Lord is going to be glorious. Wow. I think we've jumped out to at least the church age. If not the final eight. So that it seems to be used to once again to say, I'm talking about a particular time. I'm not just talking about pie in the sky by and by. There will come a day when that is going to happen. And and you just got to, I think, look at the context to try to figure out, okay, what are we talking about? So chapter 12, I think very possibly could refer to the return from exile. In that day. Wow. God is forgiveness. God has brought us home. Wow. We ought to trust him. But I think by the same token, you can bring it on up into the church age in the light of what God has done for us in Christ. We ought to trust him. So but I think his point is to say. I'm not talking about something indefinite and fuzzy. I'm talking about events that will take place in time and space at a certain time.