Read Isaiah 29:1-24.

Introduction⤒🔗

Are you taking care of your heart? Are you eating the proper diet? One that is low in cholesterol? One that avoids a lot of calories? Are you getting enough exercise? Do you have a regular routine of walking or jogging? Are you involved in some kind of fitness program?

Many people today are very concerned with their physical welfare and are instructed by their doctor to take care of their heart—that physical organ that keeps the body alive.

The Bible tells us that we are to be all the more concerned about our spiritual welfare, and our heavenly Father instructs us to take care of our heart—that spiritual organ that is the center of our spiritual life: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).

Are you taking good care of your heart? Are you guarding your heart? Are you offering your heart to the LORD your God? From the twenty-ninth chapter of the Book of Isaiah we are warned of the spiritual danger of removing our hearts from God and reducing our acquaintance with God to a mere religious formality. Let us be careful not to remove our hearts from the LORD, because to do so will prove to have devastating, even fatal, spiritual consequences.

If You Remove Your Heart from God, You will Experience the LORD’s Discipline←⤒🔗

In verse one the LORD addresses Jerusalem as “Ariel.” The Hebrew term ' 9~ 1'~9 (Ariel) has either the meaning, “the lion of God,” identifying Jerusalem as a city that is mighty and unconquerable because it enjoys the LORD’s protection; or the meaning, “the hearth of God,” depicting the city as the home of God, and what is portrayed is a warm, cozy, secure fireside setting.

Either way the term "Ariel" is being used, it is intended to convey a picture of spiritual confidence on the part of the people; indeed, a sense of spiritual complacency: the assumption that all is well with the soul, that their religious observances are well-pleasing to God, that God’s blessing and watchful protection shall continue to abide upon them—despite the fact that they have removed their heart far from God (as verse thirteen indicates). Do we feel a sense of spiritual security because we are regular church attenders, or because we belong to a traditional Bible-believing church? Do we feel that we can remove our hearts from God and not experience any devastating consequences?

Because these people have chosen to entertain such a sense of spiritual complacency and (false) confidence—despite the message of the prophets warning them of impending judgment and calling them to repentance—the LORD now instructs them: “For still another year, continue to observe the cycle of your sacred festivals.” Because they refuse to heed the LORD’s command to take warning, He now invites them to continue in their state of spiritual complacency: for one more year let them continue to observe the cycle of their religious feasts, all the while operating under their chosen false assumption that all is well with their soul and they shall continue to enjoy God’s favor and protection. When the LORD’s command for repentance is perpetually ignored, He gives the people up to the course they have chosen to follow. It is a form of giving them up to their sinful desires; note Romans 1:28, “since they refused to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things that ought not to be done.”

But attached to this invitation to continue on their chosen course of spiritual complacency and false confidence comes the warning: “For still another year, continue to observe the cycle of your sacred festivals. ²Then I will distress Ariel, she will mourn and lament” (Isa. 29:1-2). The annual celebration of the sacred feasts shall be replaced with mourning and sorrow. If we think that we can remove our heart from God and not experience dire consequences, let us prepare ourselves for the unexpected, and when it comes, may we recognize it for what it is: an act of God’s mercy and faithfulness, designed to make us bring our heart back to Christ.

In verse three, the LORD goes on to declare, “I will encamp against you on every side, I will besiege you with troops stationed all around, I will erect siege works against you.” Although the instrument of His judgment was the Assyrian armies, note the strong emphasis upon the LORD personally besieging His people and setting Himself against them because they had removed their hearts far from Him.

Having declared that He will bring distress upon Ariel, the LORD now adds these words: “but she will still be to me like a pleasant hearth” [an Ariel]. The LORD does not forget His covenant people—those who are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ; His discipline is intended to restore His children, not destroy them; and His true children respond to His discipline by returning to the LORD, note verse four,

Then you will be brought down, and you will speak from out of the ground; your speech will be a mumbling from out of the dust. Your voice will sound like that of a person possessed by a spirit who has come up out of the ground. Your speech will be [merely] a whisper out of the dust.

There is a deep humbling of His people: “you will be brought down, and you will speak from out of the ground.” The hand of the LORD, heavy upon His people in chastening, will cause them to “whisper” a prayer for mercy. Compare Isaiah 26:16, “LORD, they came to you in their distress; they could only whisper a prayer when your discipline was upon them.” But that prayer will be answered, and they shall be spared.

When the LORD’s chastening/disciplining work has accomplished its purpose, when His people seek Him with all their heart, there follows a divine act of deliverance: “But the multitude of your enemies will become like fine dust and the ruthless hordes will be like chaff that is blown away. Indeed, this will happen suddenly, in an instant” (vs. 5). The whole multitude of “the ruthless hordes” shall be reduced to “fine dust” and “chaff” that shall suddenly be swept away. Verse six goes on to say, “The LORD of hosts will come to [Ariel] with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a consuming fire.” The LORD shall come to the rescue of His people with a mighty display of His awesome power exerted on their behalf and for their deliverance from the enemy. When He does so,

⁷Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel—all who attack her and her stronghold, all that distress her—will become like a dream, like a passing vision of the night. ⁸It will be like when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but he wakes up and is still hungry; or when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he wakes up and is faint, with his thirst unquenched. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.Isa. 29:7-8

The whole multitude of nations who fight against God’s people shall be “like a dream;” they shall prove to be transient, fleeting, and ultimately of no consequence: swept away before the awesome majesty of the LORD when He exerts His omnipotent power for the salvation of His people. Verses 5­ 8 are referring to the LORD’s miraculous overthrow of the Assyrian armies when they laid siege to Jerusalem. They find their ultimate fulfillment in the LORD’s final judgment of the nations at the end of history. We must not lose sight of the fact that this miraculous deliverance came only after the people of God had been severely chastised for withdrawing their hearts from the LORD their God, and only after they had responded with repentance to that chastening work of the LORD.

Let us not remove our heart from the LORD our God, or else we will experience His discipline. Remember the case of the Prodigal Son:

¹³...the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need... ¹⁷When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you... ²⁰So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Lk. 15:13-14,17-18,20

It is best to avoid God’s discipline by daily yielding our heart to Christ and not removing our heart from Him. But on those occasions when we do stand in need of the LORD’s chastening work, it is important that we recognize the LORD’s good intention and that we make the right response: offering our heart to Christ without delay.

If You Remove Your Heart from God, Your Spiritual Life Will Suffer Critical Damage←⤒🔗

When you remove your heart from God you become spiritually “comatose;” your spiritual perception and understanding fail, as verses 9-12 indicate.

The LORD has given these people a message, (contained in verses 1-8), but they cannot comprehend it: “Stop and stare, blind yourselves and become blind. They are drunk, but not from wine; they stagger, but not from strong drink” (vs. 9). The spiritual state of the people is compared to a blind man and a drunken man: these people are totally disoriented and without comprehension of what is transpiring around them and to them because of their departure from the LORD their God.

Because they have withdrawn their heart from Him, the LORD, as an act of judgment, has poured out upon them a spiritual stupor: “the LORD has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep: he has shut your eyes, [namely], the prophets; he has covered your heads, [namely], the seers” (vs. 10). Even the spiritual leaders shared in the sins of the people, as verse seven indicates, “Even these men reel from wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink, they are consumed by wine, they stagger from strong drink. [Consequently], they misinterpret their visions and they stumble when they pronounce their judgments.” The spiritual leaders share in the spiritual darkness, confusion and stupor, because they share in the sins of the people.

Consequently, according verses 11-12, the LORD’s revelation has become to them like a book that is sealed shut, or like a book given to an illiterate man. When we remove our hearts from God, becoming enamored with pleasure, business, sports, unhealthy relationships, etc., one consequence is a deterioration of spiritual perception and understanding: the things of God become distant and foreign, the Word of God becomes “blurry” and “irrelevant.” We must understand that our relationship with the LORD is dynamic, not static: if we cultivate that relationship it will grow, but if we neglect it, it will wither away.

When you remove your heart from God your religion becomes empty, formalistic and boring (vs. 13­ 14). These people were still drawing near to God; they were still coming to His temple, they were still observing the religious holy days and festivals (vs. 13a). But they were merely honoring the LORD with their mouth, not with their heart and their life (vs. 13b). Their reverence of God was “nothing more than a tradition they have learned by rote” (vs. 13c). They still displayed an outward show of reverence for God, because that is what they had been taught to do. But there was no personal encounter with God by which they would become acutely aware of who He is and would respond to Him with a deep sense of worship, reverence and awe.

Contrast the present spiritual state of the nation with Isaiah’s personal encounter with the LORD:

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne—high and exalted, and the train [of his robe] filled the temple... ⁵Then I declared, 'Woe to me! I am ruined!—for I am a man with unclean lips and I live among a people with unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Isa. 6:1,5

Is our reverence for the LORD nothing deeper than the bowing of our heads during prayer and a respectful silence in worship; or, do we really meet with God and become keenly aware of who He really is, and respond to His presence with a deep and genuine reverence for Him: a holy fear mingled with a holy love?

When you remove your heart from God you become morally perverse. Verse fifteen warns, “Woe to those who try to deeply hide their plans from the LORD, those who do their works in the dark, those who say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows [what we are doing]?’” These people are described as having a secret, hidden agenda; rather than accept the LORD’s counsel for their lives, they have their own plan, which they seek to “hide” from the LORD: they seek to “deeply hide their plans from the LORD.” Their works are described as being done “in the dark;” i.e. they think that they can live a secret life undetected by the LORD. To themselves, they confidently raise the question, “Who sees us?” And, “Who knows [what we are doing]?” This is the attitude of the wicked, not of the godly; note Psalm 94:7, where the Psalmist describes the wicked as saying, “The LORD will not see, neither will the God of Jacob consider.”

Do we have a “secret agenda”? Do we really have no intention of following God’s holy counsel for our lives? Do we have our own plans for our lives? In our hearts do we say, “I’m going to seek first the successful life and the good life of this present world, not the kingdom of God. I’m going to pursue relationships that are beneficial and pleasing and exciting for me personally, rather than a relationship with Christ and relationships that are pleasing to Him”? Do we live a “secret life”? Are we one kind of person at church and in the company of Christian people, and a totally different person at work or in private? Do we say the right things, but have no intention of living them out? Do we believe that we can keep secrets from the LORD? Do we believe that if we can fool men, we can fool God, too?

The LORD scornfully declares to such people, “You turn things upside down! Should the potter be viewed as being the same as the clay, so that the thing that has been made can say of him who made it, He did not make me? or can the thing that has been formed say of him who formed it, He has no skill?” (vs. 16) Such thinking as described in verse fifteen, and attributed to those who have removed their heart from God, is as foolish as confusing the potter with the clay—it is folly, perversity, and even blasphemy.

Let us not remove our hearts from the LORD our God, or else we will suffer critical damage to our spiritual life.

If You Remove Your Heart from God, You Will Miss Out on His Good Purpose for Your Life←⤒🔗

Verses 18-21 reveal what life will be like when Christ returns, bringing the kingdom of God in all of its fullness:

On that day the deaf shall hear the words of the scroll, and even in the gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.vs. 18God’s people shall hear and understand His Word with clarity; the dullness caused by sin shall be completely removed.

The meek will abound with joy in the LORD, and the poor people of [the land] will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. vs. 19The meek, (those who walk humbly with their God), will be filled with the joy of the LORD; they who have waited upon the LORD shall finally rejoice in His faithfulness and justice.

The ruthless will vanish, the scoffers will disappear, and all those who watch for [the opportunity to commit] iniquity will be cut off: ²¹those who condemn a man on a mere technicality, those who lay a trap for the man who speaks out [against evil] in the courts, those who deprive the innocent of justice by means of false testimon. vs. 20-21The ungodly, (those who have loved their sins more than their God, those who have perverted justice in the earth, those who have remained the impenitent enemies of God), shall be cut off from the blessing of God and given over to His judgment.

In verses 22-24 the LORD makes His glorious promises:

They will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. vs. 23bThe LORD’s people shall recognize that the LORD our God is holy, and we shall stand in awe of Him.

Those who have an erring spirit will gain understandingvs. 24aThe spirit that causes us to wander from the truth of God shall be replaced by a true understanding and appreciation of the truth.

Those who complain will accept instruction vs. 24bOur present murmuring, (i.e. our resistance to God’s will), shall be replaced by a whole-hearted acceptance of His will.

Let us not remove our heart from the LORD our God, because to do so will cause us to miss out on His good purpose for our lives: to do so will eventually classify one with the reprobate and result in exclusion from the presence and blessing of the LORD forever.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Are you taking good care of your heart?

The Word of God tells us that our primary concern should not be our physical health, but our spiritual health and welfare; our heavenly Father instructs us to take care of our heart: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).

May this passage of Scripture be a reminder and a warning to us that we must be alert to the danger of removing our hearts from God and reducing our acquaintance with God to a mere religious formality.

Let us respond to God’s counsel, as given through the godly father of the Book of Proverbs: “My son, give me your heart” (Prov. 23:26a).

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What does the LORD call Ariel (i.e. Jerusalem) to do, and for how long? See Isa. 29:1. What will the LORD then do? See Isa. 29:2a. Why would the LORD bring such judgment? What was the nature of Jerusalem’s religious observance at this time? Note Isa. 29:13a. Is your “Christianity” of the same kind as Judah’s worship in the days of Isaiah? Has the LORD ever allowed you to continue on a course of religious superficiality, only to suffer the consequence of His displeasure?

Woe to you, Ariel, O Ariel, the city where David settled! For still another year continue to observe the cycle of your sacred festivals. ²Then I will distress Ariel, she will mourn and lament... Isa. 29:1-2a

Then the Lord said, Because these people [only] approach me with their mouth and [only] honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, and their reverence for me is [nothing more than] a tradition they have learned by rote... Isa. 29:13

2. What word of hope does the LORD provide in Isaiah 29:2b? What does this tell us about the intended purpose of the judgment foretold in verse 1a? Note Prov. 3:11-12. How do you respond to the LORD’s chastening; do you appreciate its purpose?

Then I will distress Ariel, she will mourn and lament; but she will still be to me like a [pleasant] hearth, [an Ariel]. Isa. 29:2

 My son, do not reject the LORD’s discipline, and do not become tired of his rebuke,¹²for the LORD rebukes those whom he loves, just as a father rebukes the son in whom he delights. Prov. 3:11­-12

3. How is this divine chastening described in Isaiah 29:3? What was the result of this severe discipline? See Isa. 29:4. If we humble ourselves before the LORD, accepting His discipline and seeking His mercy, what assurance does He give? See Isa. 29:6-7. With regard to the state of its heart, to what extent does the church of Christ compare to the O.T. covenant nation of Judah? What must we, as the people of God, do? Note Joel 2:12-13,

I will encamp against you on every side, I will besiege you with troops stationed all around, I will erect siege works against you. Isa. 29:3

Then you will be brought down, and you will speak from out of the ground; your speech will be a mumbling from out of the dust. Your voice will sound like that of a person possessed by a spirit who has come up out of the ground. Your speech will be [merely] a whisper out of the dust. Isa. 29:4

The description is that of a man and nation thoroughly humbled, supplicating the LORD for mercy and salvation.

The LORD of hosts will come to [Ariel] with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a consuming fire. ⁷Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel—all who attack her and her stronghold, all that distress her—will become like a dream, like a [passing] vision of the night. Isa. 29:6-7

The LORD used the Assyrian invasion to severely discipline His covenant people who had removed their heart from Him, but when they returned to Him He rescued them from their foes—He lifted from off of them the severe disciplinary measure He had employed to move them to repentance.

Now therefore, says the LORD, turn to me with all your heart... ¹³...Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful... Joel 2:12-13

4. What happens if we remove our heart from the LORD and merely go through the formalities of worship? Note Isa. 29:11-12; note, also, Heb. 5:12. Rather than suffering a deterioration in our spiritual perception, with the Word of God becoming like an unintelligible book, what should characterize our Christian life? See 2 Thess. 1:3. How do we grow spiritually? Note Psl. 119:99­-100,

The whole vision has become to you like the words of a scroll that is sealed. Men bring [the scroll] to someone who is literate, asking, Please read this. But he replies, I cannot, because it is sealed. ¹²Then the scroll is brought to someone who is illiterate, [and again] they ask, Please read this. But he replies, I am illiterate. Isa. 29:11-12

...your sense of hearing has become dull; ¹²for though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need [someone] to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God... Heb. 5:11-12

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith is growing exceedingly... 2 Thess. 1:3

⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers, because your testimonies are my meditation. ¹⁰⁰I understand more than the aged, because I keep your precepts. Psl. 119:99-100

5. What happens if the process of spiritual deterioration that results from the removal of the heart from the LORD is not halted and reversed? See Isa. 29:15-16. What kind of man are the words of Isaiah 29:15 describing? What does the Lord Jesus finally say to such people? See Matt. 7:23,

Woe to those who try to deeply hide their plans from the LORD, those who do their works in the dark, those who say, Who sees us? and, Who knows [what we are doing]? ¹⁶You turn things upside down! Should the potter be viewed as being the same as the clay, so that the thing that has been made can say of him who made it, He did not make me? or can the thing that has been formed say of him who formed it, He has no skill? Isa. 9:15-16

When we fail to respond to the Word of God with faith and obedience, becoming callous towards it, our perspective concerning our relationship to God becomes completely distorted and sinfully inverted.

And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' Matt. 7:23