Isaiah, Chapter 34

Today's entry is likely going to be very brief because we have seen most everything mentioned in chapter 34 of Isaiah before. Chapter 34 continues on the theme of judgment against nations that do not accept God as God. These are nations that not only in Isaiah's day went against him, but it is also a preview of the future. This judgment carries over to today because many nations have lost their way from God. Because of that, these nations will face judgment on the Day of the Lord. We see that judgment illustrated here in chapter 34.

2 The LORD is angry with all nations;
       his wrath is upon all their armies.
       He will totally destroy them,
       he will give them over to slaughter.

 3 Their slain will be thrown out,
       their dead bodies will send up a stench;
       the mountains will be soaked with their blood.

 4 All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved
       and the sky rolled up like a scroll;
       all the starry host will fall
       like withered leaves from the vine,
       like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

 5 My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
       see, it descends in judgment on Edom,
       the people I have totally destroyed.

 6 The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood,
       it is covered with fat—
       the blood of lambs and goats,
       fat from the kidneys of rams.
       For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah
       and a great slaughter in Edom. – Isaiah 34:2-6

This sounds suspiciously like a judgment against present day nations when you look into the symbolism of it. The fat mentioned on the sword of the Lord is a symbol of extravagance. In Isaiah's time fat was a symbol of the elite, since they could afford to be plentiful. This judgment here is against those who wallow in their extravagance without giving credit to the Lord. To me at least, this sounds a lot like the present day because there are certainly people in this world who wallow in their wealth, but do not acknowledge the Lord.

For the rest of today's section I am going to forgo the typical three questions I end each entry with and just pose a single question. From this question I want you to study this chapter and come to your own conclusions on the subject. Why would God continue to speak of judgment against His enemies so much?