Isaiah 17 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 17 Short Summary:

Isaiah 17 is an oracle against Damascus, the capital of Syria, and Israel. God prophesied through Isaiah that both nations would fall to the sword of Assyria. At the end of the chapter, God promised to break Assyria’s power before they were able to conquer Jerusalem.

Isaiah 17 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• The prophecies in this chapter appear to have been delivered prior to 732 BC. That was the years Tiglath-pileser of Assyria conquered Damascus (2 Kings 16:9). The Assyrians conquered Israel in 721 BC.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• The Assyrian Empire – God used Assyria to punish Syria and Israel, but the Assyrians were not innocent, and they received their judgement when they attempted to conquer Jerusalem.

• The Syrians – Their capital city was Damascus. God delivers an oracle against them in this chapter foretelling their downfall.

DEFINITIONS:

• Oracle (17:1) – A divine announcement; a message from God.

• Ephraim (17:3) - Ephraim was a tribe of Israel, but in Isaiah’s time, the name was used to refer to the whole northern kingdom of Israel.

• Asherim (17:8) – Worship sites dedicated to the pagan goddess Asherah. It’s thought she was associated with fertility.

OUTLINE:

• AN ORACLE AGAINST ISRAEL AND DAMASCUS (17:1-11):

  • Damascus, in Syria, was an ancient and powerful city, but Isaiah prophesied that God would destroy it by sending the Assyrians against it.

  • God promised to make Damascus into a heap of ruins and to send its citizens into captivity.

  • Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) were allies, and they would suffer the same fate, defeat and capture.

  • When the inhabitants of Syria and Israel were taken out of their lands, Isaiah said the territory would be like a once healthy man that became emaciated, once full, but soon to be starved of people.

  • He employed 2 other word pictures to describe the barrenness of the country. First, the people of Israel would be harvested and removed like wheat is harvested and removed from a field. Second, Israel’s land would be like a tree after picking, when only a few straggling pieces of fruit remain on the branches.  

  • No doubt, this prophecy referred to 721 BC, when the Assyrians conquered Israel, took their people into captivity, and left only a remnant behind.

  • In that day, when real help was needed, Israel would finally turn away from their idols and false altars and seek help from the God of heaven, the “Holy One of Israel.”

• MIGHTY ASSYRIA SHATTERED BY GOD (17:12-14):

  • God would allow the Assyrians to conquer Syria and Israel, but He prophesied that He would break them before they were able to conquer Judah and Jerusalem.

  • Like a roaring wave the Assyrians poured into Syria and Israel, overwhelming them, but God broke the wave on the walls of Jerusalem and scattered its power.

  • This prophecy was fulfilled when God’s angel killed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army in one night as they were preparing to take Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 19:32-37).

APPLICATION:

• God was willing to call out the sins of the other nations, but He dealt first with the sins of His own people.

• Only after condemning Judah and Israel did God turn His attention to Assyria, Babylon, Moab, and Damascus.

• We need to be able to condemn sin everywhere we see it, even amongst our own people, our families.

• Unfortunately, many are good at pointing out unrighteousness in others, but when it comes to their own families, they cover up their immorality, they look the other way when someone they love is in sin, or they make excuses for them.  

• God’s justice is not partial. His calls for repentance have never been partial.

• Our judgement should never be partial, especially to those we love the most. You aren’t doing anyone any favors by letting them live in sin.