Conclusion of Woe to Jerusalem!

At the time that Isaiah utters this portion of his prophecy, the leaders of Judah do not have faith like that of Hezekiah.  They have drunk themselves into a spiritual stupor by means of their alliances with ungodly nations.  "Linger, you men, and be amazed; blind yourselves, and be blinded.  They have become intoxicated, but not with wine; they have moved unsteadily, but not because of intoxicating liquor."  (Isaiah 29:9)  Spiritually drunk, these leaders are unable to discern the import of the vision given to Jehovah's true prophet.  Isaiah states:  "Upon you men Jehovah has poured a spirit of deep sleep; and he closes your eyes, the prophets and he has covered even your heads, the visionaries.  And for you men the vision of everything becomes lie the words of the book that has been sealed up, which they give to someone knowing the writing, saying: 'Read this out loud, please,' and he has to say:  'I do no know writing at all.' " -Isaiah 29:10-12.

Judah's religious leaders profess to be spiritually discreet, but they have left Jehovah.  They teach instead their own twisted ideas of right and wrong, justifying their faithless and immoral activities and their leading the people into God's disfavor.  By means of "something wonderful"-his 'strange deed' -Jehovah will call them to account for their hypocrisy.  He says: "For the reason that this people have come near with their mouth, and they have glorified me merely with their lips, and they have removed their heart itself far away from me, and their fear toward me becomes men's commandment that is being taught, therefore, here I am, the One that will act wonderfully again with this people, in a wonderful manner and with something wonderful; and the wisdom of their wise men must perish and the very understanding of their discreet men will conceal itself."  (Isaiah 29:13, 14)   Judah's self-styled wisdom and understanding will perish when Jehovah maneuvers things for her entire apostate religious system to be wiped out by the Babylonian World Power.  The same thing happened in the first century after the self-styled  wise leaders of the Jews led the nation astray.  Something similar will happen in our own day to Christendom. -Matthew 15:8, 9; Romans 11:8.

For now, however, the bragging leaders of Judah believe that they are clever enough to get away with their perversion of true worship.  Are they? Isaiah tears off their  mask, exposing them as having no genuine fear of God and thus not true wisdom: "Woe to those who are going very deep in concealing counsel from Jehovah himself, and whose deeds  have occurred in  a dark place, while they say:  'Who is seeing us, and who is knowing of us?  The perversity of you men! should the potter himself be accounted just like the clay?  For should the thing made say respecting its maker:  'He did not make me'?  And does the very thing formed actually say respecting its former:  'He showed no understanding?'?"  (Isaiah 209:15, 16; compare Psalm 111:10)  No matter how well concealed  they think they are, they stand "naked and openly exposed" to the eyes of God. -Hebrews 4:13.

Next time: "Deaf Ones Will Certainly Hear"

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, 2000