Is. 33:1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
After reading through this chapter in several translations, I get the sense that God is speaking through Isaiah to Judah and its enemy Assyria as well as to God’s people and their enemies in future times.
Assyria is guilty of spoiling (ravage, oppress, rob, lay waste) and of dealing treacherously (deceitfully) without provocation. The message to Assyria is essentially that just as surely as you have treated others with wickedness, you are going to reap the same. The time will come when God will not allow you to continue as a conqueror, and you will become the conquered.
Assyria is a perfect picture of the enemies of God and His people today. They are so caught up in the now and the influence and power they exert now, that they don’t think of the time that their reign of influence and power will end. In their pride (often bolstered through the deceit of the enemy, Satan), they refuse to acknowledge that they will be brought to justice. They seem to think that if they just pretend God doesn’t exist, they don’t have to fear His retribution.
Is. 33:2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Isaiah seems to break out in a prayer. He is asking for gracious/kind treatment from Almighty God for the people of Judah. He is recognizing that their strength and deliverance are dependent upon God alone.
“we have waited for thee” – I stopped to go back and read in 2Kings 17-20 which gives the account of Sennacharib’s siege of Judah and Hezekiah’s decision to humble himself and pray to God for deliverance. He then proceeded to wait for God’s deliverance, and God did deliver.
It’s a true test of faith when we can trust God by waiting when the enemy is right at the door and the situation looks hopeless. The scripture is full of exhortation to “wait on the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 37:7&34 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him….Wait on the LORD, and keep his way…
Proverbs 20:22 … but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
Lamentations 3:25-26 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD…
The Hebrew for the word waited means to wait with patient and confident expectation.
Is. 33:3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
Is. 33:4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.
Verses 7-9 would seem to indicate that the Assyrian army is outside the gate. That would tend to make this a prophecy of the description of the fleeing of the Assyrian army after God answers Hezekiah’s prayer by sending His angel to kill 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army during the night. Isaiah is voicing confidence in the fact that it will be God that puts the enemy on the run. When they left, the people of Judah would be able to benefit from the spoils they left behind which he compared to the work of the caterpiller. This would seem to indicate that they no longer feared attack; they would be able to work at a leisurely pace. God’s attack on the enemy is compared to the quick devastation that locusts can bring about on crops and vegetation.
The main problem I have with applying the verses to the Assyrians is the use of the word nations (plural). The Hebrew is a reference to foreigners, Gentiles, or the heathen. Assyria is one nation, but as a conqueror of others maybe it was a reference to the nations that were part of the whole.
On the other hand, it can be an expression of Isaiah’s confidence in God’s actions on behalf of the enemies of His people at any time of His choosing.
Is. 33:5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
As Isaiah thinks about God’s deliverance he breaks into praise. He seems to be echoing the thoughts of the Psalmist.
Psalm 97:9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
Psalm 118:16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Psalm 113:5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high…
Psalm 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Is. 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
This verse seems to reference his thoughts in chapter eleven where the context of the passage is the millennial reign of the Messiah.
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD….
These two verses are speaking of a time when Zion is filled with judgment,
righteousness, wisdom, and knowledge. This will be a time of stability (security, moral fidelity, truth). “Strength of salvation” seems to be a reference to the wealth that will be theirs through the victory of Messiah. The word treasure is a reference to a depository, a place of safekeeping. The time of Messiah is sure because it is held in trust by the bank of YHWH.
I wonder what went through the prophet’s mind when subsequent events didn’t produce the conditions in Zion that are described in these two verses. It must have been hard to be inspired with these words of wonderful expectation and then remain faithful when God said not right now—but the time is coming. I think the key to Isaiah’s ability to stay faithful is stated in the last phrase of verse 6, “the fear of the Lord is his treasure.” Isaiah was a man of God; he was very familiar with the Torah. When I did a word search, God instructs the people of the importance of fearing Him repeatedly.
Deuteronomy 6:2, 13, 24 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments….Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him….And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always…
Deuteronomy 10:12&20 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him,
Deuteronomy 14:23 …that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Later on Isaiah expresses his knowledge that God’s ways are far beyond his understanding; therefore, he would continue to “fear the Lord.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Is. 33:7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
Is. 33:8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
Is. 33:9 The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
Sometimes it is really hard to follow the flow of the prophet’s message. Isaiah goes from praising God for the victory to reflecting current conditions. The people of Jerusalem are distraught. Their attempts to make peace with the Assyrians have failed. The roads of the country have been destroyed; the people are afraid to travel because of the advance of the enemy—an enemy that has no regard for promises or human life. The broken covenant being referenced is described in 2Kings 18. Although Hezekiah met the financial demands of the king, he placed Jerusalem under siege anyway. The people were afraid. The Assyrian king had already conquered Lebanon and Israel.
Is. 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.
At this point God’s message to Isaiah is that He’s had enough; the enemy of Judah (Assyria) will not be allowed to threaten His people any longer. God will be exalted; He will lift Himself up through His actions of deliverance on behalf of His people. Again, God is going to show His people that He is the only One worthy of their trust and praise.
Is. 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Is. 33:12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
The Assyrians have been bragging of their victories and their might. They have caused God’s people to tremble in fear. All their bluster is now going to be proved without foundation. Isaiah compares them to chaff (dry grass, easily broken) and stubble (same as chaff; poetic repetition); their words are going to result in their own destruction through the fire of God.
Verse 12 seems to jump in time if you take it literally. It could be speaking of the complete defeat that the enemy will experience at the hand of God, but I tend to think there is a more literal application. We are now living in a day and age in which this type of utter destruction of the people by fire paints a vivid picture of nuclear destruction. Isaiah has already referenced a time when Zion will be filled with righteousness (which will only happen when Jesus comes to take His throne). I think Isaiah is receiving a message that has more than one application.
Is. 33:13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
This verse is a wake up call to those who witness or hear testimony of God’s actions on behalf of His people. God is emphasizing that it is His mighty hand that has accomplished the deliverance of His people.
As I was reading through this section again, it occurred to me that “far off” could be a reference to time as well as distance. It could be a reference to us.
Is. 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
The obvious fact is that the enemies of God’s people are sinners. Now Isaiah is referencing the fact that there are enemies in the camp so to speak. Instead of relief and joy at God’s deliverance, these sinners are terrified at the power of God. There are always those who profess God as Lord, but their lives don’t back up their profession; they are hypocrites. They find themselves as afraid as those who have openly rejected God. They realize that God is a consuming fire and their lives are at stake unless they repent.
Again, I can’t help but think of end times and the comparison to the mindset of those who have professed Jesus, but really don’t possess Jesus, when they witness the rapture of all true believers.
Is. 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
Is. 33:16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Isaiah now paints a word picture of those who can count on God’s protection and deliverance:
Those who walk righteously (morally).
Those who speak uprightly (honestly).
Those who despise the thought of taking advantage of their fellow man to profit themselves.
Those who refuse to accept bribes.
Those who refuse to take part in plans of murder and bloodshed.
Those who protect their eyes from evil/wicked things.
As I look over this list, I think that most “Christians” today consider themselves safe as to the first five points; but I wonder how many can honestly say that they protect their eyes from evil things. I’m not sure anyone with a TV truly can. No matter how quick on the trigger you are with a remote, even supposedly “good” programs have commercials that project lifestyles and morals that go against God’s truth. How many “Christians” excuse the movies they watch by the fact that it is “just depicting real life,” or “it has a real good message,” or “I don’t really notice those bad words,” or ………! I still struggle with where to draw the line.
I think as God was giving this message to Isaiah, He was speaking specifically to the lives of the people who were hearing the message; but He was just as surely speaking to us today.
Those who trust God as LORD will dwell on high. That is a description of safety and security in the knowledge that God is in control of what is allowed into your life. The word munitions speaks of a fort or a stronghold; so the second phrase is reinforcing the thought of safety and security. Bread and water speak of God’s provision of what is necessary for our nourishment and sustainment. Our thoughts naturally go to physical sustenance and nourishment, but I think that it is spiritual sustenance and nourishment that is the primary thought.
Is. 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
“Thine” – the people of Judah; God’s people
I think Isaiah’s vision has to be referencing the coming of the Messiah. When God provides deliverance in the person of Jesus, the Messiah, as the conquering King, His people will see Him in all His beauty. Webster defines beauty as “An assemblage of graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense.” In other words, everything about King Jesus will please us. Judah/Israel in particular will finally behold a homeland that fills the borders promised by the Lord. Instead of a great nation on a tiny sliver of land, they will be a great nation in a great land.
Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates…
Joshua 1:2-4 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Is. 33:18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
Is. 33:19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
After reading through several translations, I get the idea that these verses are speaking of the thoughts of God’s people in retrospect as they begin to experience the blessings associated with the reign of Messiah. They will remember the terror their enemies caused them, but they will never again have to worry about the attack of an enemy who terrifies them, whose speech they can’t even understand.
Is. 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
God knows our hearts. He knows what His people have suffered at the hands of their enemies—at the hand of the enemy (Satan). He will encourage the people to look at Zion, their holy city. It will be a quiet, peaceful place to live that will never again be destroyed or suffer at the hands of an enemy.
Is. 33:21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
Is. 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
Isaiah is stating that the LORD, YHWH, will be the protection of Zion; no enemy ships will be able to penetrate His protective covering. This is a time when God’s people recognize Him as:
Judge – the one who determines whether our actions are right or wrong; the one who makes righteous decisions
Lawgiver – the one who declares what is right and wrong
King – the ruler on the throne; THE AUTHORITY
Savior – the source of deliverance, protection and security
Is. 33:23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
This verse is describing a ship whose sails/mast are not secured, so it cannot be directed; it’s a ship in trouble. This seems to be referencing the ships of the enemy referenced in verse 21. When God destroys the enemies of His people, they will benefit from the spoils of victory. God’s victory will be so complete that even the lame will be able to take part in the spoils. God’s blessing extends to all of His people—not just the strong.
Is. 33:24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
The people of Zion will be healthy when Messiah reigns; sickness will be a thing of the past. It’s interesting that healing from sickness is associated with forgiveness of sin. Again, this emphasizes the healing of the soul, but does not preclude the healing of the body. Jesus taught this very truth during His ministry on earth.
Mark 2:5-11 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
Is. 34:1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
Continuing in his poetic style, Isaiah proclaims God’s call for the nations and peoples of the earth to hear His message. Obviously, all the peoples being addressed could not hear the message at that time; they didn’t have television and satellites to make that possible. The message from God was pertinent to them nonetheless; and, if I am correct, then those to whom it would be applicable would get the opportunity to hear this message as the scripture is proclaimed throughout the world.
Is. 34:2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
Is. 34:3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
This very much sounds like what is usually referenced as the battle of Armageddon to me. Revelation 19 describes this as a time when the vultures are called to the great supper of God to feast on the armies of the Antichrist that will be slain in the battle.
Revelation 19:17-18 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Revelation 14 references this as a time of great bloodshed; so much blood is shed that it reaches the horses bridles.
Revelation 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The following verses just help cement the timeframe in my understanding.
Is. 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
We know that these events haven’t occurred yet, and Revelation 6 associates these events with events that occur before Jesus returns as King. (See journal on Revelation.)
Revelation 6:13-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Is. 34:5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
Is. 34:6 The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
“my sword” = the Word of God
Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword….
The sword in verse 5 is connected to a curse, a pronouncement of judgment; this also affirms that He is speaking of His Word. How is the Word personified? In Jesus.
John 1:1&14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Sword, The Word, will be bathed (fill, satiate) in the heavens. Every eye will see Him.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Revelation 19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
I have always been taught that the Lord would return to earth at the Mount of Olives; Zechariah 14 was always quoted and tied in to Acts 1 in teaching this scenario. For a long time I stayed confused about how that could be true and still make sense of other verses that indicate He is coming from Bozrah.
Zechariah 14:3-4 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Acts 1:9-12 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
I finally realized that I needed to listen to the Word and not to men. Zechariah is stating that the Lord will stand on the Mount of Olives and cause a great valley to form leading into Jerusalem. It doesn’t say it is the first place His foot will touch. The verses in Acts are emphasizing that just as Jesus left in a cloud, He will come in a cloud. Just as Jesus left visibly, He will return visibly. It does not say that He will return first to the Mount of Olives; it is just describing how He will return—not where.
The land of Idumea is the same as the land of Edom. Bozrah was the capital of Edom. Edom is also the location of Petra, where many believe the remnant of Israel will be preserved through the last part of the tribulation. This appears to be supported by the prophet Micah:
Micah 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
The book of Daniel also informs us that the lands of Edom, Moab, and most of Ammon (most of what is today called Jordan) will not be subject to the Antichrist.
Daniel 11:41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
Jesus’ return to planet earth will be to the cries of His people for salvation; and if the major remnant is located at Petra/Bozrah, it would make sense for Him to go there first. Finally, Isaiah 63 began to make sense to me. (Much of my understanding came with the help of Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum and his essay on THE CAMPAIGN OF ARMAGEDDON found at www.raptureready.com.) I admit that there is much I still don’t understand and look forward to more study on the subject.
The Hebrew defines “sacrifice” (v6) as “slaughter.” I believer this is a reference to the enemies that Jesus will kill as He rescues the remnant being preserved there.
Is. 34:7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
Both Easton’s Bible Dictionary and Webster define the unicorn as a very powerful animal of ancient times; the Hebrew references a wild bull. This verse seems to be saying that even the mightiest in the land will have their blood spilled when God’s day of judgment comes.
Is. 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Why is this judgment coming? To exact God’s vengeance on the nations for their treatment of His people and the nation of Israel. This vengeance is directed to all nations, but verse 5 indicates that He will strike in Edom first.
Is. 34:9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
Is. 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
As a result of this first battle of the last stand of the Antichrist and his armies, the land of Edom will be wasted. I’m not sure what would cause water to turn into pitch (asphalt, called bitumen in its soft state; what we would call tar). The dust will become like sulphur. Both of these substances facilitate fire and heat; they also bring to mind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). The land of Edom will become totally uninhabitable and will remain that way throughout the millennium. I think the phrase “none shall pass through it for ever and ever” is a direct reference to one of the reasons for its judgment. When the Israelites had asked permission to pass through the land of Edom on their journey from Egypt to Canaan, but they were forbidden passage (Joshua 11).
Is. 34:11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Is. 34:12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
Is. 34:13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
Is. 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Is. 34:15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
These verses continue to describe the total devastation of Edom. It will become a land for the wild animals. Never again will this land support men or be a royal kingdom of princes and nobles.
Is. 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Is. 34:17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
Verse 16 is beautiful. It is an affirmation from God through His prophet that He is establishing a book for His people--a book that would affirm His truth, that book being the Word of God, the Bible. Every prophecy given by God will come to pass just as He has foretold. Just as the animals in the previous verses have mates/companions, each of God’s prophecies will have a fulfillment. These prophecies have come from the mouth of God, and He will ensure their fulfillment.
God is the one that has given this land to the animals, and they will possess it without interference from man from that point on.
I continue to be amazed at the many witnesses of His truth that God gives man. He is making every effort to get us to accept Him as our Lord, to get us to turn to Him in repentance and recognize Him as The Authority in heaven and on earth. He has been so careful to provide so many details and has been so patient and longsuffering in His desire to enjoy fellowship with us. In contrast, I can look back over my own life and see how easily I have lost patience with those I love most and reacted in anger or frustration instead of love. What an awesome God we have!!!