Isaiah 29:5-8 - Your enemies will become like dust

29:5,6

We have just read that Jerusalem would be brought to her knees, but this is not the end. She would not be defeated, even though she would come very close to it. Suddenly her enemies would be utterly defeated. We will read about how this worked out in practice when we get to chapter 36. This relief from the attack and seeming imminent defeat would not be a result of anything Jerusalem did, but would be a result of the direct intervention of the Lord. We can see a parallel here with our salvation. There is nothing we can do to bring about our own salvation, it is only the direct intervention of the Lord that has saved us. Yet, like all humanity, we have an incorrigible habit or trying to save ourselves.

29:7,8

The immediate fulfilment of all this was the Assyrian attack, but it is also pointing forward to a greater fulfilment. For Revelation speaks of all nations being against Israel. This too would be in vain, for they will be defeated (Rev 20:7-10). This happens after the thousand years. The key human action in the Assyrian “defeat” was the faith of first Isaiah, then of Hezekiah. This pattern of a lesser fulfilment and a greater fulfilment is typical of much prophecy in the Bible. The lesser fulfilment is like a guarantee that the greater one will really happen. The nations will have many plans and designs on destroying Jerusalem, but they will not be successful, they will not be satisfied. Likewise, we should not be afraid when the world attacks the church, the Lord is the only one we should fear.