Again, the prophet returns to Judah’s call to Egypt for help against the Assyrian invasion. What moved the prophet to address Judah’s leaders with a strong rebuke and biting satire was that their war planning not only ignored and factored God out of their plans, but that they also asked an idol-worshipping nation to be their help! Yahweh was passed over for the military of Egypt. The fact is that Egypt could only take Judah’s money, but did nothing to turn the Assyrian army away; Yahweh did that. Isaiah called Judah’s behavior sin.

 

This is the day of the Assyrian siege where Jerusalem would suffer a horrible fate without God’s intervention. However,God did intervene, as Isaiah said He would. The prophet was inspired by God to address Jerusalem as “Ariel.” Ariel literally means “lion of God.” It also became used by the prophets as “altar of God.” This duel meaning characterized God’s desire for Jerusalem, to be His city of heroism and sacrifice. The Divine King of Peace, Jesus Christ, is the very personification of heroism as the Lion of Judah, and sacrifice as the Lamb of God. He is the fulfillment of what Jerusalem was supposed to broadcast to the world.