Isaiah 17 Commentary
God will punish Syria and Israel. Israel alongside Syria; probably because Israel is indistinguishable from Syria.
When an individual fails to distinguish herself from wickedness, you are sure they will be punished together with wickedness.
Then there is hope – a day when people turn for help to their Creator.
In the meantime, the prophet speaks of days when men and women have put their trust in the ungodly worship systems.
Nothing has changed. The ungodly worship systems still remain. Asherah poles still exist in their original form in some places. However, in many places, Asherah poles have been replaced with more advanced ungodly worship systems.
A day when people turn to the Creator God for help may not always be positive. It could be the cry of a defeated rival. A confession we get from an enemy that their own is all emptiness. A regret that they have chased a valueless end. Could it be the point when every knee bows down and every tongue confesses that the rejected Jesus is the Creator God?
But should this confession happen on the day of punishment?
Isaiah has this vision from the LORD to ensure that people can read it and turn to the LORD today when they can. Let the people see that the gardens they have planted haven’t yielded anything of value to them. It is all emptiness. The people we think have got it right – the success of this world; the powerful nations; the LORD reprimands them. Their own is nothing but great emptiness.
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