The Misery of False Devotion – Isaiah 29

The Jewish people in the Gospels expected the Messiah to be a powerful, political Savior who delivers Israel from Gentile enemies. But they didn't want Him to deliver them from their sins, as we see in John 8:

“If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed... They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” (31–39)

Jesus would not merely save Israel from Gentile rulers; He insisted that they give up on their false devotion to God, acknowledge their sin, and trust in Him alone if they want salvation.

Isaiah had the same message for Israel about 700 years earlier in Isaiah 29. The chapter immediately begins with a sarcastic and mournful tone: “Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule” (29:1).

You’ll notice God refers to Jerusalem as “Ariel” here, a term that can refer to a lion or the hearth of an altar. Leviticus 1:7–9 and Ezekiel 43:15–16 describe such a hearth; wood is placed there in order to light a fire to burn the sacrifices above it. The name suggests God’s dual purpose for Jerusalem to be an impenetrable stronghold and a city of worship where sacrifices are offered from a pure heart. 

But their superficial festival observance doesn’t please Him; quite the contrary: it brings His judgment. God promises a Gentile siege will come on the city to punish them (29:2–3).

The people of Jerusalem hit rock bottom in verse 4: “Then you will be brought low; from the earth you will speak, and from the dust where you are prostrate your words will come. Your voice will also be like that of a spirit from the ground, and your speech will whisper from the dust.”

Isaiah writes that they are “brought low”, speaking “from the earth” and “from the dust” where they lie “prostrate”. After the people reach their lowest point, in total helplessness, God promises to defeat their enemies in verses 5–8, making the enemies’ plan to devour them nothing more than an unfulfilled dream. 

But the people of Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day act quite differently in verses 9–14: they are locked in a state of spiritual stupor and drunkenness on sin (9). This stupor incapacitates them in the two most fundamental ways we relate to Him:

• First, they can’t grasp the meaning of God’s word. Their prophets are blind, incapable of foreseeing God’s coming judgment (10). Similarly, the people can’t even understand the written prophecies (11–12).
• Second, they can’t respond to Him rightly in worship. He rejects their superficial prayers and worship because they are shallow, learned behaviors not coming from a love of God (13–14). So He plans to expose their spiritual delusion by doing wonders that undermine their godless wisdom.

What’s at the root of Israel’s spiritual collapse? Verses 15–16 unpack their mindset: they deny their accountability to God for their sin, dismissing His supremacy over them as Creator. 

God promises restoration “in a little while” to close out the chapter. In verses 17–24, we see the blessing God originally promised repentant Israel in Deuteronomy 30: ecological rejuvenation (17), spiritual perception (18), worshipful joy (19), vigilance to punish sinners (20–21), international honor (22), genuine fear of Yahweh (23), and genuine transformation (24).

The chapter is filled with depictions of a deluded, self-sufficient people in need of total dependence on God. It is no different for the Christian. Many Christians find themselves perpetually stagnant, unchanged by God’s word, and unwilling to invest in prayer and worship. When that happens to us, we must examine whether we are picking and choosing the God we want. 

Once we cease fabricating a God to suit ourselves and genuinely humble ourselves before our Creator, we find not only renewed interest in His word, but abundant joy as we cultivate our prayer, worship, and lives according to it.

Pastor David