Isaiah 34:1-4 – Don’t court divine indignation

In chapters 24-27, Isaiah’s message of judgment was on the whole world. No nation was specifically mentioned. In his message, the prophet saw how God would ultimately destroy His enemies and restore Israel, His people, to the land. In Isaiah 34-35, he returned to the judgment of the whole earth. So in 34:1-4, he prophesied a cataclysm calamity that would happen worldwide.

Isaiah began by calling all the peoples of the earth to pay attention and listen to what he would say about the coming judgment of God. The Almighty, he said, was angry with all the nations. He could no longer hold back His wrath, so the whole earth had been placed under a divine ban and scheduled for utter destruction. There would be an onslaught on the armies of mankind.  

In verses 3 and 4, Isaiah painted a bleak picture of the consequence of the judgment. Putrefying corpses would be littered all over the ground. And the stench of those rotting decaying corpses would be the only “scent” that would fill the atmosphere. The mountain would be covered with red drenched blood of the onslaught. The sky would be like a scroll that would be rolled up. And the host of heavenly lights would be so weakened, and wear off just like withering leaves of a tree. Hence, they could no longer shine to provide light like it used to do. Thus the whole earth would be plunged into utter darkness.

Since the fall, the whole earth has been wreaked with evil for so long that it seems like there is no limit to its wickedness. Fallen mankind has been courting troubles for themselves by constantly pushing God’s patience to the limit. While the Bible describes God as a loving father, it also portrays Him as a holy judge. Hence, we cannot test the patience of God and expect to get away scot-free forever. There is an unavoidable day of reckoning. Isaiah paints for us that day here. This is a call not to test the patience of God. Don’t court divine indignation but rather court divine love. Set your heart on finding the will of God. And then with diligence, seek to live for Him.