Isaiah 27

Isaiah 27 continues the theme of God's judgment on His enemies and His restoration of Israel. It speaks of God’s final victory over chaos and evil, symbolized by Leviathan, and how He will nurture His people like a vineyard. It also addresses the discipline of Israel, promising restoration after judgment. The chapter ends with a vision of the gathering of Israel from exile.

Isaiah 27:1 (NKJV)
1 In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

This verse portrays God’s victory over chaos and evil, symbolized by Leviathan, a mythical sea creature representing forces of disorder. God's powerful sword signifies His judgment on all forms of evil, bringing ultimate peace. The imagery reflects His authority over both spiritual and worldly enemies, asserting His power to destroy those who oppose His will.

Isaiah 27:2-5 (NKJV)
2 In that day sing to her, "A vineyard of red wine!
3 I, the Lord, keep it, I water it every moment; Lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.
4 Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
5 Or let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; And he shall make peace with Me."

The vineyard represents Israel, whom God lovingly cares for. He protects and nurtures His people, ensuring their growth and safety. While God’s wrath is real, this passage emphasizes His desire for peace, offering protection to those who seek it. However, any attempt to rebel against God, symbolized by briers and thorns, will be met with swift judgment, as no force can stand against His power.

Isaiah 27:6-10 (NKJV)
6 Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him?
8 In measure, by sending it away, You contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind in the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.
10 Yet the fortified city will be desolate, The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down and consume its branches.

God’s promise is to restore Israel, causing it to flourish and be fruitful across the earth. He has not dealt as harshly with Israel as with their enemies. Instead, God has disciplined them in measured ways, refining them. This purification leads to the removal of their sins, as represented by the destruction of idolatrous altars. However, those who persist in rebellion will face desolation, as symbolized by the abandoned fortified city.

Isaiah 27:11-13 (NKJV)
11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor.
12 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.
13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

The breaking off of withered branches represents God’s judgment on those who lack understanding and reject His guidance. However, the chapter ends with hope as God promises to gather His people one by one, signaling a time of restoration. The trumpet blowing signifies a call to worship, drawing in the scattered Israelites from Assyria and Egypt to worship at Jerusalem, symbolizing the ultimate gathering of God’s people after exile.