Isaiah: The Potter and the Clay

Isaiah 29

Remember playing hide and seek as a child… or with your children? When I was young, my favorite hiding spot was deep in the corner of my bedroom closet. Covered by hanging clothes and boxes, no one could find me. Now, looking back, I wonder if my siblings were really searching. Well, that’s a discussion for another time! Let’s apply the “hide and seek game” to a different setting: Do you ever try to hide from God? Do you go to your favorite hiding spot often, hoping he won’t search for you? We’ll see what God says to those who think they can conceal their actions from him.  

The prophet Isaiah warned Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, that judgment was approaching (Isa. 1-12) and that no strategic alliance would succeed in offering assistance for their situation (Isa. 13-23). He also reminded the people that God’s punishment was intended to bring them back into his presence, where they would receive the abundant blessings they sought. 

In Isaiah 29, the prophet refers to Jerusalem as "Ariel.” There are two possible meanings for this name. Ariel means “Lion of God," and the lion serves as an emblem of strength (2 Sam. 23:20), symbolizing that Jerusalem is a city established by the Mighty God. Additionally, Ariel can mean “hearth of God," representing a place where the altar fire continuously burns for God (Isa. 31:9; Eze. 43:15-16). Isaiah may have used this name to emphasize Jerusalem’s sense of invincibility. However, due to their sin, this city, which was built on a high place, would ultimately be disciplined. God says,

Isaiah 29:3-4
And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. 

Judah was not invincible after all. They had turned their hearts away from God. They would be brought low “in an instant, suddenly” (Isa. 29:5). The Lord of Heaven’s Armies would visit them “with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire” (Isa. 29:6). A “multitude of all the nations” would fight against Jerusalem (Isa. 29:7-8).

Jerusalem would not foresee the impending disaster. Due to their lack of spiritual fervor, the religious leaders would “close [Judah’s] eyes” and “cover [Judah’s] head” (Isa. 29:10). God allowed this blindness to persist. It would be as if God poured out on Jerusalem “a spirit of deep sleep” (Isa. 29:10). The vision of the coming judgment would be “like the words of a book that is sealed” (Isa. 29:11).

Jerusalem believed, as we often do, that they could cover up their sinful ways.

Isaiah 29:15-16
Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? 

To hide from God is to “turn things upside down!” He is sovereign over all and sees all things. No deeds are hidden in the dark before our God. The apostle Paul used Isaiah 29:15 to emphasize the doctrine of God’s sovereignty—God knows all things and works all things for his purposes (Rom. 9:20). Isaiah will say later in his prophecy: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isa. 64:8).  

Jerusalem lived in “hiding” and darkness, but one day things would change.

Isaiah 29:18-19
In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 

In that day, “they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel” (Isa. 29:23b). 

Let’s consider Isaiah 29:13, our Anchor Point for this passage.

Isaiah 29:13
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men….”

People in Jerusalem regularly visited the temple to worship with their gifts and offerings. They attended services and sang songs. However, they didn’t truly engage with their hearts; instead, they adhered to a manmade religion. Fast forward seven hundred years, and Jesus addressed the religious leaders of his time, declaring that Isaiah’s prophecy about pretenders was applicable to them. 

Matthew 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Now jump ahead two thousand years! Would Jesus say to us, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you…”?

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 29. Focus on our Anchor Point: Isaiah 29:13. Evaluate your heart. Do you go through the motions, or are you all in with Jesus?

Talking to God:  Ask God to help you be all in! 

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.