Category Archives: Isaiah

Barren Woman – Isaiah 54:1

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Barren woman, sing for joy because your husband is your Maker and Redeemer, from Isaiah 54:1-5. What song was she to sing? Was she to sing with someone? Were the musical bars this barren woman was to sing new or old? Is there a time frame for this song? If you get the feeling I may be all over place with this one you could be right. Now for my verse 1.

Father God has been singing a Song of Salvation since the Garden, not many wanted to hear it. Abram heard the tune and danced with God to Cannan. This brings in another singer for the song, Sarai. She was ‘ă·qā·rāh or barren and is the first one to sing that part of this song. That word describes five women and is used in Isaiah 54:1. Hebrew Concordance: ‘ă·qā·rāh — 8 Occurrences  Strong’s Hebrew: 6135. עָקָר (aqar) — barren, barren one, barren womanzzz Sarai was the first, but others joined her:

  • Sarai – Genesis 11:30
  • Rebekah – Genesis 25:21
  • Rachael – Genesis 29:31
  • Samson’s mother – Judges 13:2
  • Hannah, Samuel’s mother, in her prayer – 1 Samuel 2:5

Notable “covers” were given by the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:14 and John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth – Luke 1:7.

I would like to add a personal note about this part of the Song. I have read Isaiah 54 many times, but the scale of how important this ‘ă·qā·rāh woman singing has alluded me until now. Eve was the first to hear about this Song, her descendants Sarai and Rebekah started singing their part to bring salvation into our world.

The attention getter in Isaiah 54 is it being address to a barren woman. Verse 11 refers to the afflicted city, which may put this around the time of Hezekiah and the Assyrian conquest of Judah. There are many references to Daughter Zion or Virgin Daughter Jerusalem and other daughters in Isaiah. So, this introduction seems very important. Isaiah also refers to other barren things in his lines, mostly geographic areas. Father God’s measured verses here are the anacrusis to Isaiah 60 and 61. I need to point out that our translators use the word “will” many times in this part of the Song.

When Isaiah contributed his lines to the Song, he did not write in chapters and verses, but that is our lot in life. As I have read this part of Isaiah, I have wondered about how his words bridged his time over the kings of Judah and when they were penned. Our Chapters 54, 55, and 56 talk about a barren woman, those who are thirsty, foreigners, and Rest Keepers. He composed his lines for then and for us and for a time we have not yet seen. That chorus of chapters sounds like the Song of the Kingdom to my ear.

Paul repeated 54:1 in Galatians 4:27 and draws a comparison of earthly Jerusalem (Hagar a slave) to heavenly Jerusalem (Sarah a free woman). He wrote this letter to get the Galatian Church back into the rhythm of the Song after they heard men who were out of tune with Jesus sing their own song. Paul highlighted the part of the Song about being a slave to sin and being free in Jesus. Yes, I do see that in Isaiah’s words in Chapters 54, 55, and 56, and beyond.

Being barren was a curse under the Law, yet ‘ă·qā·rāh are still a part of the song. God composed His Song to include members of His Body that were overlooked and mistreated (1 Corinthians 12:23). There was a lot in this study. The links below are some areas that harmonize with Isaiah 54:1.

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – Kings

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This post is about the kings of Assyria, Judah, and Israel (northern kingdom). The rulers are how we label and set times (years) for the actions we see in the Bible. The Bible has many historical notes in it that sometimes we miss, but it is one of the non-Assyrian sources that talks about the conquest of the Assyrian kings. There are many preserved texts of clay tablets, stones, and wall reliefs that tell stories of this period. With that said, some of this material is not just from our Bible.

Aggressions, conquest, and Temple news is in our Bible and the writings of the Assyrian kings. We know there were documents that have been lost to history about Judah and Israel. Even with Assyria in control, the kings of smaller countries attacked and held campaigns against each other. We can see this with Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus against Judah and King Ahaz. King Amaziah did this against Edom and stole their gods.

Taking conquered kingdoms gods was a practice that Assyria did regularly; they took Marduk of Babylon and held a trial and found him guilty. Tribute and captivity of the people to other lands are how they controlled the kingdoms they conquered. Gold, silver, and other valuables, like wool and sheep, are mentioned many times in the Bible. The Temple and palace treasuries were emptied many times.

My search terms were Assyria and Ninevah. I will give the Assyrian king then kings from Judah and Israel; some biblical kings do not have direct mention with Assyrian kings, but they were in the same time periods. This is just a brief look and not a comprehensive list of interactions. From my Background post many of the prophets were writing in this period and may mention Assyria or Ninevah but not a specific biblical king. Pronouncements of Assyrian judgment are found in many places in the Bible.

  • King Ahab fought Assyria at Qarqar in 853 BC Battle of Qarqar – Wikipedia  This is not found in the Bible.
  • Tiglath-Pileser/Pul 745-727 – Ahaz 2Kg 16, Menahem 2 Kings 15, Pekah
  • Shalmaneser 727-722 – Hezekiah, Hoshea 2 Kg 17
  • Sargon 722-705 – references in Obadiah 20 and Isaiah 20
  • Sennacherib 705-681 He built up Ninevah making it his administrative capital – Hezekiah and Manasseh. 2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 32
  • Esarhaddon 681-669 – Mentioned in Ezra 4, Isaiah 37:38
  • Ashurbanipal 669-631 – King Josiah. Ashurbanipal and Pharaoh Necho were beaten by Babylon.

The Assyrian Conquests (853 bce–612 bce) | Encyclopedia.com

Sepharad – Encyclopedia of The Bible – Bible Gateway in Obadiah, refers to exiles from Judah

List of Assyrian kings – Wikipedia  look at the bottom

List of Assyrian Kings – Bible History

Kingdoms of the Arabs – Kedar / Kedarites

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – A Little Background

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Spiritualizing the influence of Egypt and Babylon has been done many times, I really cannot remember a sermon about the evils of Assyria. From my background studies I will say they were not nice and taking populations captives or razing whole cities to the ground was common, Assyria did it to Babylon twice.

Assyria/Ninevah and the Books of the Bible that cover that time period.

This would be my order of reading for a timeline.

Kingdoms

There was history going on outside of Israel. Some of these major players are in the story of God’s People some are not. There were many other kingdoms that do not make it into Scripture, but they were there. This is just a list, their interactions and treaties were complex and changed through the years.

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy and Ahaz

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References for King Ahaz are: 2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16, and Isaiah 7:1-12. Isaiah 14:28 is the year he died, and Isa 57:3 – 13 describe the actions of Ahaz. To get a good portrait of him you need to consider all of the references together, as each adds something special to the study.

Who He Was

Ahaz is the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah, and the father of Hezekiah. He is also the king who made many bad choices. In a time of trouble, he turned to the gods of Damascus and then to Assyria for help. Because of the king of Assyria, he changed the temple and the worship of God.

The Enemies Ahaz Dealt With

  • Edom – 2 Chronicles 28:16-18 and 2 Kings 16:6 speak of troubles with Edom/Esau/Amalekites. (Boundaries changed over the years and so did population sizes.) They were joined by the Philistines and Aram/Samaria in reducing Judah because Ahaz did not choose the Lord. The Book of Amos has things to say about Edom in this time period. This unrest started in the womb and can still be seen in the Book of Esther, and in King Herod’s rule. See Hosea 11:12-12:6.
  • Assyria – This enemy had been around for a while, as King Ahab was the first Hebrew king to fight them, at Qarqar. They deported Israel, twice, and took part of Judah into captivity. The important note with Ahaz is he wanted help from Assyria. See Hosea 5:13.
  • Samaria – Pekah son of Remaliah (Israel) and Aram/Damascus – Rezin. Their conflicts is Ahaz’s story in 2 Chronicles 28 and 2 Kings 16. Isaiah 7 through 10 adds the final note to them and Assyria. Remaliah | The amazing name Remaliah: meaning and etymology
  • Ahaz – He had a battle with his history and chose the wrong side. I wonder when Isaiah 7:10 happened? Was it before he followed his non-David side and threw off all of the things of God?  

2 Kings 16:2 Ahaz was 25 when he started to rule for 16 years, that makes him 41 at his death.  2 Kings 18:2 Hezekiah was 25 when he started ruling. 41-25 = 16 years old when Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, he had been a father for 9 years when he became king. Customs, social norms, and political pressures may account for this, or he may have just been an out-of-control royal.  

A Contrast – Kings and Chronicles verses Isaiah. History verses God’s prospective. Isaiah, Hosea, and the minor prophets through Zephaniah covers the years of Assyria’s assault and the moral decline of Israel and Judah. In those Books during that time, judgment is pronounced but in all of that is also the Lord offering a better way and promises of His righteousness and redemption. An example is Isaiah 7 – 10, in these chapters is promises of the Messiah.

Ahaz let Assyria direct his spiritual life. It seems Abijah, Hezekiah’s mother, a daughter of Zion, was better and directed Hezekiah to the Lord.  

Complaints in the Bible or Musing to Murmuring

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Well, I suggest you use this post as a launchpad for your own study of complaining found in the Bible. This study comes from looking into Job 9:11 and righteousness in the Book of Isaiah. I am surprised at the scope of the thoughts about “complaints” in the Bible; God bless translators. The word complain was not the key term I used in this study; the links below will show this.

These links are not in any particular order. These are great resources as they have more than my ink and leaf Strong’s Concordance and show how the word is used in translations besides the KJV. 

Additional words of “complain” in the Strong’s/KJV

  • H 7378 – to toss or grapple
  • H 1058 – to weep
  • H 596 – to mourn or complain
  • H 6682 – a screech or cry
  • G 3202
  • G 157 – to have affection for

There are several types of “complaints” in the Bible, you will find man complaining to and about God, God “complaining” about man and man-to-man interactions. To complicate this, you need to look at what is being said and how it is being done. How does this relate to righteous behavior? Part of our concept of righteousness is our active relationship with the Father. So, communicating with God is our praises, our thanks, our needs, and our concerns. Righteous not religious is the goal. How do you want your friends and children to speak to you? 

This balance is shown in two interesting texts. The first is the Ten Commandments. The first four focus on how to relate to God; the last six are how we are to treat other people. My second comparison is the Lord’s Prayer, the first part is towards the Father, and starting with asking for our daily epiousios bread is our needs and how we relate to our fellow man.

Prophets Who “Complained”

I will list five prophets, there may be more and more examples from these five. Each of these men were under stress for different reasons.

Isaiah 24:16 – Chapter 24 is complex, 1-13 is about destruction, 14-16a is praise to God, and 16b is Isaiah wailing because of his condition. Most of his kings did right in the eyes of the Lord, but he must have been burdened by what he was seeing in his visions.

Jeremiah 12, see Chapters 15 and 16, and 20:7 – 18. Chapter 12 is a complaint of what Jeremiah sees and God answers this in the second part of the chapter. 20:7-18 is a complaint and I did not find an answer to it. There is another complaint section for Jeremiah; 15:10 is a complaint followed by an answer 11 – 14; 15 – 18 is another complaint followed by the Lord’s reply 19 – 21 and Jeremiah in 16:19 makes a statement of repentance.

He did not have an easy job; Babylon was coming to destroy Jerusalem, the people did not like him, the king would not do what was right, and his own family was plotting to kill him.   

Habakkuk 1:2 and 12, then 2:1 – His book is built on two questions that stem from what he sees around him. 2:1 is his resolve to wait for an answer. God did answer both of his questions 5-11 and 2:2 – 20. Habakkuk ends his oracle with a “musical prayer” where he is giving quality time to the Lord.

Elijah – In the cave he was moaning to God because of Jezebel and his limited information on how many people were still faithful to God. (1 Kings 19)

Jonah – His complaint, I feel, came more from the fact that if Nineveh was not destroyed it would technically make him a false prophet. He knew God was merciful and he did not want to go.

Others Who Used Their Voices

David and the Psalms – Much of David’s life is an open book for us to read, his complaints and praises. Okay, that is because he wrote about them in the psalms or songs he wrote. They record a wide range of emotions and feelings. 1 Samuel 30 may have been one of the roughest spots for him up to that time in his life; Saul and Israel were after him, the Philistines had just booted him out of camp, he returns to Ziklag to find everything taken, and his men are mad at him. Did he “complain”? Most people I know would have said a few words and phrases at that moment, but those led to 1 Samuel 30:6 and I can hear Psalm 71 starting to be shaped in his heart. That song may have been finished when his son, Absalom, tried to overthrow his kingdom. Here are some other examples of Psalms that reflect a down time or a time of meditation.

  • Psalm 1:2
  • Psalm 31:1
  • Psalm 55:2
  • Psalm 64:1
  • Psalm 102:1
  • Psalm 142:2

The Journey – I will draw a line in the Red Sea for this post. On the west side of the line is Egypt, which is now a defeated foe, the miracles that subdued Egypt’s gods, and a healthy people leaving with riches. Now to the east side of the line is a new life so they can meet and know their God, and thank Him for freeing them and the Promised Land. Those forty years are well documented. Take a Muse Moment and reflect on your Journey since your baptism?  

In Exodus and Numbers, the people complain about God Strong’s Hebrew: 8519. תְּלֻנּוֹת (tluwnah) — murmuring (biblehub.com)  See Testing God Ten Times. Moses did not like it when God said He would not go with them, Numbers 11:10. God had a few things to say about the People, Numbers 14:27. The people complain to Aaron about Moses on the Mountain, Exodus 32:1. There are more, but to be fair there were times when they willingly obeyed God and He did not fail to provide them with manna, shade in the day and a warm covering at night.

Job – 7:13, 9:27, 10:1, 21:4, and 23:2. Translators will vary on how they view the word “complaint”, so study. There are other passages in Job that would very easily come across to fit a modern idea of complaining.

New Testament – You may not find the word complain associated with any of these stories or parables, but I took off my “Good Morning” glasses and saw people who had a lot to say. I think the range of emotions went from musing to murmuring.

  • Luke 15 – the oldest son talking to his father
  • John 4 – the woman at the well
  • John 11:21 – Martha addressing Jesus about her brother dying
  • Luke 1 – Zechariah and Mary talking to the Gabriel. I have decided that this will be a Christmas 2024 post, so more on this later. But one of these murmured and one mused.

I took a break during my study and found this; it is related. Held (youtube.com) by Natalie Grant

My takeaway is not simple or cut and dry. The Hebrew words for complaining, moaning, and musing seem to carry a wide range of uses and applications. Your heart-attitude is a factor in musing or murmuring. God is not against you; He wants what is best for you.