Isaiah 29:1-4

The Voice

For generation after generation of God’s people who have watched their country being attacked repeatedly and humbled by their enemies, Isaiah’s words must provide a great deal of comfort. Nothing could be more traumatic than to know that the temple to the one True God is under siege and finally destroyed. When Isaiah’s words are heard, many audiences must think of a restored temple in Jerusalem. God Himself is promising to lay the foundation for that restored temple, assuring that those who trust in His work will never have to rush around again to figure out how to save themselves from another invader. God’s foundation will hold firm, no matter what, so there is every reason to be confident.

Early Christians see in Isaiah’s message a promise of a new temple, a temple not made with hands. Simon, whom Jesus names “Rock” (Peter), refers to this prophecy when he writes of believers coming to Jesus to form a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:6). Jesus’ followers confess Him to be the stone that forms the foundation for God’s new temple. He is the cornerstone: though rejected by some, He is chosen and precious in God’s sight.

29 O Ariel, woe to you Ariel, our Jerusalem,
    where David set up his camp to stay.
Go ahead, go on with your fruitless festivals,
    your calendar of events, year in and year out.
²In the meantime, I will trouble Ariel to the point of mourning and crying.
    She will be for me a fiery hearth.
³I will surround you, enclose you, cut you off.
    I will isolate you from aid or reprieve;
I will attack the city walls with towers and siege works.
⁴That will humble you so low, you’ll speak from the earth itself.
    And when you do, your voice will issue from the very dust where you lie;
Your voice will rise from the ground like the voice of a ghost,
    like a soft whisper from the earth.