Reading for May 28th

Read Isaiah 29.5-16. In 29.5-16: The viisittaion of of the Lord of hosts. God would intervene to protect Jerusalem, but it is not clear what actually occurred in 701 to explain this report (see comment on 37.36). This assurance may go back to Isaiah, or it may result from subsequent reflections on the deliverance of the city and King Hezekiahh's continuing reign. The survival of the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem was of great significance when the destruction of Samaria and its royal house was recalled (see 2 Kings 18.10-12). In verses 9-12: The people's inability to discern God's purpose is the drunken staggering. The warning in vv. 11-12 witnesses to the way in which the spoken word of the prophet was preserved to become part of scripture. The reader of the book takes the place of the hearer of the word. In verses 13-14: The wisdom of their wise shall perish. The foll hardy polices of the royal counselors and advisers would prove ruinous. In verses 15-16: The prophet mocks the secrecy and subterfudge by which the royal counselors seek to hide their policy, with its high risk of military disaster, from the people. Comments or Questions..