The nation had seen many rulers come marching through the land boasting of their strength. Assyria was the current proud nation, Babylon would soon become the next one. They claimed to march in the "greatness of their strength", but the One who would finally come in strength is the Lord.
The wine press can be taken in two ways. On the one hand it refers to Jesus on the cross, and taking upon Himself the judgment of God upon our sin. But it also refers to God exercising judgement against the nations. There will come a time when God executes judgment upon the nations that defy Him. We need to have a clear world view, and it is that God has the last word.
This tells of the whole problem of Israel and of mankind, but through the eyes of a man of faith, Isaiah.
Isaiah's starting point is that the Lord is faithful and kind. He had carried out many good deeds for Israel. His intention was to create a people who would be true to Him, so he became their saviour. He rescued them from captivity in Egypt and instructed them. He saw their distress, heard their cries, and rescued them. Yet Israel rebelled against God, against His Holy Spirit. Note that this shows the activity of the Spirit in the Old Testament times. Also remember that in Ephesians Paul warns against grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). So God became their enemy.
Isaiah then remembers the work of God and reminds the Lord of this. He calls on God to rescue the people again. See that Isaiah is fully aware of the present situation. He is not blind to the facts, but the facts do not cause him to lose faith, but to call upon the Lord instead. When we are faced with situations which seem to go against God's promises we should react in the same way.
This tells of the whole problem of Israel and of mankind, but through the eyes of a man of faith, Isaiah.
Isaiah's starting point is that the Lord is faithful and kind. He had carried out many good deeds for Israel. His intention was to create a people who would be true to Him, so he became their saviour. He rescued them from captivity in Egypt and instructed them. He saw their distress, heard their cries, and rescued them. Yet Israel rebelled against God, against His Holy Spirit. Note that this shows the activity of the Spirit in the Old Testament times. Also remember that in Ephesians Paul warns against grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). So God became their enemy.
Isaiah then remembers the work of God and reminds the Lord of this. He calls on God to rescue the people again. See that Isaiah is fully aware of the present situation. He is not blind to the facts, but the facts do not cause him to lose faith, but to call upon the Lord instead. When we are faced with situations which seem to go against God's promises we should react in the same way.
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