Doves,The following excerpt is from an article on Isaiah. Demonstrating the continuity of the early chapters of Isaiah on Messiah, then focusing more intently on the singular oracle of Isaiah chapters 17 and 18. --Cal
The complete article can be found at:
www.unsealed.org/2018/04/isaiah-1718-root-shoot-and-fruit-of.html
FromIsaiah 17–18: The Root, Shoot, And Fruit Of Jesse (Part I)
....For those of us who are keen on Bible prophecy, we are able to see how the events in Syria are setting the stage for the end-times. We are also able to see the glimmer of hope in these dark days, because we know the King of kings (and King of Israel), Jesus the Messiah, will crush the tyrants currently in power and set up His everlasting kingdom on earth in the not-so-distant future.
Thus, with all of the focus on Syria these days, it's no wonder that Isaiah 17 keeps cropping up in prophecy circles:
An oracle against Damascus: Look, Damascus is no longer a city. It has become a ruined heap" (Isa. 17:1, HCSB).
Now, I don't have a problem with using this text to establish the relevancy and truthfulness of God's word as it shows us, indeed, just how close we are to the time of the end. The way I see it: The more who are aware of the signs of the times, the merrier. But whenever Isaiah 17 surfaces in discussion of the end-times, why do we rarely hear mention of verses 3, 4, and 6? After all, Damascus [Syria] isn't the only nation under judgment in this oracle:
The fortress disappears from Ephraim...[o]n that day the splendor of Jacob will fade...[o]nly gleanings will be left in Israel" (Isa. 17:3-6, HCSB, emphasis mine).
So then, I begin this two-part post with a plea: We who know the Lord and teach His word should know better than to isolate one verse or passage without considering the surrounding context and crucial literary markers that arrange the material into a cohesive whole......
....So before we get to Isaiah 17, let's survey the beginning chapters of Isaiah and see how the references to Messiah drive the narrative forward and reveal the underlying hope of the believing remnant. And remember, the messianic hope began with the promised seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15:
Isaiah 1:1 – Crucial first words that address the immediate audience (Judah and Jerusalem) and highlight the royal, messianic line of David: the "kings of Judah" (cf. Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:11-16).
Isaiah 4:2 – The first botanical metaphor of the Messiah in Isaiah, "...the branch of the LORD..."
Isaiah 6:13 – The hope for all Israel will come through a surviving remnant, "...the holy seed is the stump."
Isaiah 7:14 – The virgin will give birth to a son, Immanuel (cf. Matt. 1:23; Lk. 1:30-35), the ultimate seed of the woman. Notice Isaiah's frustration with the people of the covenant promise, "Listen, house of David!" (7:13a).
Isaiah 9:6-7 – The eternal son of David will reign forever, "...He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom...forever..."
Isaiah 11:1 – The shoot comes from "the stump of Jesse" (refer back to 6:13) and will bear lasting fruit.
And, lastly, a pivotal text for this study:
On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner [Heb. nes, "signal, flag"] for the peoples. The nations [Gentiles] will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious" (Isa. 11:10, HCSB).
*See also Numbers 21:8 for the first usage of this term, nes, in a highly messianic text (cf. Isa. 49:6, 22; Jn. 12:20-36, especially verses 20 and 32 which emphasize outreach to the Gentiles).
These messianic verses reveal the backbone and undercurrent of the book of Isaiah. We get the impression that those who hear Isaiah's message should never place their hope in anything or anyone else but the coming Messiah—He is the ultimate promised seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent and deliver God's children. Given that the Messiah is also eternal, He is both David's offspring and the root of David's father, Jesse (cf. Rev. 22:16). Amazing!....
...Summary of Part I
Ok. Given the numerous botanical metaphors of Messiah surveyed in the early going of Isaiah, and after taking an in-depth look at the text of 17:10-11, our spiritual antennae should be primed for picking up any messianic signals at this point. If you can accept that Isaiah is not speaking about literal plants in 17:10-11, then who could this grafted-in, imported branch be? Who are these Namaanim, connected with Israel's seed, and those who sprout up into a fully-ripe harvest that disappears into thin air at the end of the age?
Hmmm...
Let's put it all together now. Here's an interpretative/paraphrase translation of 17:10-11:
And so, Israel, as a result of rejecting your Rock—the God of your salvation—you will plant plants, ones like Naaman, and you will graft in a Gentile branch. At the time of end, you will help your plant to grow, and in the morning, when the Day dawns, you will help your seed to bloom, yet the harvest will vanish on the day of plagues and great pain."
The correct interpretation of Isaiah 17:10-11 yields a theology that is consistent with what we find in Deuteronomy 32:21 and the New Testament writings of the apostle Paul:
I ask, then, has God rejected His people? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin...by their stumbling, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous...if the root is holy, so are the branches...you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree...the root sustains you...a partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come in..." (Rom. 11:1, 11, 16-18, 25, HCSB, emphasis mine).
And does Paul know anything about a so-called vanishing harvest? You bet:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16-17, HCSB, emphasis mine).
Stay tuned for Part II...