Isaiah Chapter 17 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Isaiah 17:1–2
This is a prophecy about Dammesek: "Dammesek will soon stop being a city; it will become a heap of ruins. The cities of 'Aro'er will be abandoned, given over to flocks lying down undisturbed.
We see that God was going to judge the nation of Syria, whose capital is Damascus. They were going to be judged because they made an alliance with the northern kingdom (Israel) against the southern kingdom (Judah). The "cities of Aroer" refers to the suburbs of the ancient city of Damascus. This prophecy has been fulfilled, as the modern city of Damascus is not in the same location as the Damascus of Isaiah's day. It was common, at that time, to rebuild a city that had been destroyed but move it away from the ruins of the old city.
Isaiah 17:3
Efrayim will have no defenses, Dammesek will cease to rule, and Aram's survivors will share the fate of Isra'el's finest sons," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
This verse is like a bridge connecting the fates of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria in this matter. Both nations were to face judgment for their opposition to Judah and God's city (Jerusalem). God uses the name Ephraim for the northern kingdom to remind us of their idolatry (adultery), as they had refused to obey God and worship in Jerusalem. They had set up their own places of worship and even made an alliance with Syria to attack the city of Jerusalem. They were both guilty, and so both were going to be judged. This should be a strong warning to us about choosing our friends. As we see here, the choices we make can have serious consequences. As Christians, we are called to reach out to others and show them the love of Jesus Christ, but we must understand that those who reject Christ are enemies of Christ. Those who attack God's people (Christians) and oppose His will are enemies and will be judged accordingly. Those who go along with them instead of assisting God's people will be judged as well. Before you "friend" another person on Facebook or another social site, remember that you may be guilty by association in God's eyes.
Isaiah 17:4–6
"When that day comes, Ya'akov's glory will wane, and his full body grow thin, as when the harvester collects the standing grain, reaping the ears of grain with his arm; yes, as when they glean the grain in the Refa'im Valley. Yet gleanings will be left, as when beating an olive tree - two or three olives at the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches," says ADONAI, the God of Isra'el.
Now, the judgment turns to Israel as God describes the coming hard times. A body stores up fat during the good times in preparation for hard times, and God says that Jacob (Israel) is headed for lean times. But there would be a remnant left, as described by the gleanings left in the field and the olives left on the tree. Olives were harvested by beating the trees with a stick to knock the fruit off. There would be some olives on the higher branches that would not be knocked off. Throughout the Bible, the olive tree is a symbol of spiritual richness, and these "olives" that were left would be those who did not turn to idolatry. We see the same type of reference in Revelation 11 in regard to the two witnesses in the last days. These two, along with the 144,000, will be the modern equivalent of the Maccabees of Old Testament times. They will hold fast to their faith in Yeshua the Messiah during the period known as the Great Tribulation.
Isaiah 17:7–9
On that day, a person will heed his Maker and turn his eyes toward the Holy One of Isra'el. He will pay no heed to the altars made with his own hands, he will not turn toward what his fingers made, the sacred poles and standing-stones for sun-worship. When that day comes, his strong cities, which others abandoned when Isra'el advanced, will be like abandoned woods and forests; they will be laid waste.
This remnant of witnesses will be a shining example and will point men back to God. This passage describes the fact that the land of those who joined forces against God's people will be left desolate as the judgment falls on them. This has already happened in the case of Syria, but it is going to happen even more in the last days when nations join to oppose God's people.
Isaiah 17:10–11
For you have forgotten the God who saved you, failed to remember the Rock of your strength; so you plant pagan-style gardens and set out vine-cuttings for a foreign god. Though you make them grow on the day you plant them, and in the morning your seedlings flower; the crop will vanish the day disease comes, a day of incurable pain.
Now, God is speaking to the northern kingdom (Israel) and reminding them that they do not have the ability to create a harvest. Any farmer knows that he can plant the finest of seed and tend the field every day, but it is only God who can make the plant produce fruit. It is the same with the kingdom of God and our role as Christians. We can sow the word of God into the lives of people, but it is only God who can use it to touch their hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Israel, there are many who have "forgotten God your Savior" and have developed programs and training for evangelism as if they have the ability to "bring people to Messiah."
Isaiah 17:12–14
Oh, the terror-stricken uproar of many peoples, roaring like the roar of the seas, and the rushing about of nations, rushing and surging like wild, wild waters! Yes, the nations will roar like the mighty ocean, but he will rebuke them, and far will they flee, driven like chaff by a mountain wind, like whirling dust in advance of the storm. As evening falls, you can see terror; before sunrise, they have ceased to be. This is the lot of those who plunder us, the fate of those who prey on us.
No matter how many nations join forces against God's people, the result is the same. The "sudden terror" speaks of the intervention of God on behalf of His people. This has been a pattern throughout the Bible, and it is going to happen again in the last days. The fate of any alliance that opposes God's people is destruction; it always has been and forever will be!