Commentary - Isaiah 34:5-8

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, Isaiah gives us a terrifying glimpse into the settled counsels of God. The language is stark, bloody, and entirely unsentimental, which is precisely how it needs to be. Modern sensibilities want a God who is endlessly accommodating, a celestial grandfather who would never hurt a fly. But the God of the Bible is the judge of all the earth, and He will absolutely do right. This passage describes the execution of His perfect justice against His intractable enemies, represented here by Edom. The decree is first settled in heaven, and then it descends to earth in a great and terrible slaughter. But this is no mere display of raw power. This judgment is purposeful; it is the necessary prelude to the vindication of His people. The day of vengeance for Edom is the year of recompense for Zion. God's justice is always two-sided: it is damnation for His enemies and salvation for His children.

Outline

Commentary

Isaiah 34:5

For My sword is satiated in heaven;

Before any judgment ever falls to earth, the verdict has been finalized in heaven. This is not God making things up as He goes along. The sword being "satiated" or "drunk" in heaven is potent, anthropomorphic language to tell us that the decision is made. The debate is over. The appeals have been exhausted, not that there ever were any. God's holy justice has considered the matter, and the decree is settled. All that remains is the execution. This is a picture of God's unassailable sovereignty. History is not a chaotic series of events; it is the unfolding of a divine script. What happens on earth is a direct result of what has been irrevocably determined in the heavenly court.

Behold, it shall descend for judgment upon Edom

And now that settled decree has an address. The sword is coming down, and its target is Edom. In Scripture, Edom is more than just a neighboring nation. Edom was descended from Esau, Jacob's brother. This makes their hostility toward Israel a familial betrayal. Esau was the profane man who despised his birthright for a bowl of stew. Edom therefore stands as a type of the carnal, God-hating world, particularly that part of the world that is in close proximity to the people of God and yet remains implacably hostile. This is not random wrath; it is targeted, specific, and personal judgment.

And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

The Hebrew here is the word herem, which means consecrated or devoted to destruction. This is the language of holy war. This is not simply a nation being defeated in battle; this is a people being given over to God as a sacrifice of judgment. They have been set apart for this purpose. Why? Because their rebellion has reached its full measure. Their wickedness is high-handed, and so God's response is total. This is a difficult truth for our soft generation, but it is a biblical one. There comes a point when sin is so entrenched that the only remedy is complete removal. God is a surgeon, and sometimes the cancer requires radical excision.

Isaiah 34:6

The sword of Yahweh is filled with blood; It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams.

Isaiah now piles on the graphic imagery. This is not a clean, sterile affair. The sword of God is dripping with blood and glutted with fat. The prophet then uses the language of Levitical sacrifice with biting irony. The animals mentioned, lambs, goats, and rams, are the very animals offered on the altar for atonement. But here, the Edomites themselves have become the sacrificial animals in a ritual of judgment. God is the priest, and the whole land of Edom is the altar. Their prosperity, their strength, their very lifeblood is being offered up, not to cover their sin, but to demonstrate the holiness of the God they have offended.

For Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Bozrah was a principal city of Edom, a center of their strength. To say that Yahweh has a sacrifice there is to say that He is turning their place of pride into a place of utter ruin. Notice the two words: sacrifice and slaughter. A sacrifice has religious, covenantal overtones. A slaughter is just butchery. By putting them together, Isaiah tells us that this great act of judgment is both a righteous, holy act of God (a sacrifice) and a terrible, bloody destruction (a slaughter). God's justice is not an abstract concept; it has teeth, and it has consequences in time and space.

Isaiah 34:7

And wild oxen will also fall with them, And young bulls with strong ones; Thus their land will be soaked with blood, And their dust become greasy with fat.

The judgment is all-encompassing. It is not just the "lambs and goats," representing the common folk, who will perish. The "wild oxen" and "strong bulls," metaphors for the leaders, the warriors, the elite, will also be brought down. No one is exempt from the judgment of God. Position, wealth, and power offer no protection. The result is that the very land itself becomes a participant in the judgment. The ground is soaked with blood, the dust is made greasy with fat. This is de-creation. The land that was supposed to bring forth life is now saturated with death. This is what sin does. It pollutes everything it touches, and the judgment must be as thorough as the pollution.

Isaiah 34:8

For Yahweh has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Here, at the end, Isaiah pulls back the curtain to show us the ultimate reason for this terrible scene. This is not arbitrary carnage. This is the methodical execution of justice for a specific purpose. It is the "day of vengeance" and the "year of recompense." God keeps the books, and the books must be balanced. Edom's crimes against Zion have been recorded, and now payment is due. And notice the glorious flip side of this coin. God's vengeance upon Edom is simultaneously His vindication of Zion. The judgment of God's enemies is the salvation of God's people. They are two sides of the same righteous action. The world sees the terror and the slaughter, but the believer is to see the faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God who will not allow His people to be afflicted forever. He will arise and defend His bride. The destruction of evil is a necessary component of the salvation of the righteous.

Application

We live in a world that is just as hostile to Zion, the church of Jesus Christ, as Edom ever was. And because we have been catechized by a soft and sentimental culture, we are often shocked when God's judgment begins to fall. We ought not to be. God has not changed. His sword is still satiated in heaven, and His judgments are still sure. This passage should remind us that God takes the affliction of His people personally. He has a day of vengeance and a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

The ultimate expression of this two-sided justice was at the cross. At Calvary, the sword of Yahweh descended with all its fury upon the Son of God. He became the ultimate sacrifice, the one devoted to destruction in our place. God's vengeance against sin was poured out completely on Him. And because it was, the result for us is not a day of vengeance, but a year of recompense. Because the wrath of God fell on Him, the grace of God can fall on us. For those who are outside of Christ, a passage like this should be a terrifying warning. But for those who are in Christ, it is a profound comfort. The same holy justice that will tolerate no evil is the very justice that guarantees our salvation.