Below are some preliminary questions to assist in the study of this passage. For a comprehensive study of the passage, download the Study Guide (PDF download).
1. What was the moral condition of the nation at this time in Judah’s history? See Isaiah 32:5 (printed below) What caused this condition to prevail in the nation? Note Isaiah 5:24b and 5:20-21 (printed below)
No longer will the fool be called noble, nor will the scoundrel be respected (Isaiah 32:5)
They have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 5:24b)
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)
Verse 5 describes the moral and spiritual condition of the nation: at the time Isaiah delivered this message from the Lord: “the fool” was called “noble,” and “the scoundrel” was respected. There was a failure on the part of the people to appreciate or even recognize the most basis moral distinctions. How could this possibly have happened? The answer lies in the fact that the nation had forsaken the law of God (Isaiah 5:24b) as their standard in favor of their own human standards (note Isaiah 5:20-21). Isaiah 5:20 tells us that the most elementary and fundamental moral precepts (the black and white of ethics and morality) were being turned upside down, with the result being that perversity was honored and righteousness was abased. Isaiah 5:21 describes an arrogance that causes a man to forsake the fear of God and the law of God as a monitor upon his behavior and as a guardian over his decisions; man’s own wisdom and reason are made to be the standards for ethical decisions, rather than the moral law of God.
2. What counsel does the fool give and what is the consequence of that counsel? See Isaiah 32:6 (printed below)
…the fool speaks folly and his heart desires to do what is wicked so as to practice godlessness and to cause men to stray from Jehovah; as a consequence, he empties the soul of the hungry and deprives the thirsty of drink. (Isaiah 32:6)
Verse 6 describes the counsel of the fool, and its consequences. We are told that the fool speaks “folly” (the Hebrew term means that which is “impious” or “ungodly”) and “his heart desires to do what is wicked” (note Romans 8:7). Consequently, he advocates that the nation “practice godlessness” (i.e.; that it become secular, operating apart from God) and that it follow a course that ignores and is even contrary to God’s standard. The effect of the fool’s counsel upon the nation is acute oppression: “he empties the soul of the hungry, and deprives the thirsty of drink.” When a nation departs from God’s moral law as its standard, freedom under God is inevitably replaced with tyranny apart from God.
3. According to Isaiah 32:15 (printed below), how long would the nation’s state of moral degeneration continue? Or in other words, what would bring it to a halt and transform the situation?
Such will be the state of the land until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, then the wilderness will be turned into a fertile field, and the fertile field will seem like a forest. (Isaiah 32:15)
Verse 15 indicates that this state of degeneration and the consequent devastation would continue “until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high.” Man is neither able nor inclined to return to the Lord his God and truly reform his life, there is the need for the operation of the Holy Spirit—and the Lord here promises to His Old Testament people just such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
4. What is one result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival? See Isaiah 32:1-4 (printed below)
Look! A king will reign with righteousness, and his officials will rule with justice! (2) This man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, he will be like streams of water in the desert, like the shadow of a great rock in a dry land. (3) And the eyes of those who can see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who can hear will listen. (4) And the mind of the rash will comprehend knowledge, and the stammering tongue will be able to speak fluently. (Isaiah 32:1-4)
One great result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival is a return to righteous living. Verse 1 is describing a government that returns to its true position of accountability to God and of being a legislator of His moral law: “a king will reign with righteousness, and his officials will rule with justice.” The picture is that of a thoroughly righteous government involving both the highest authority in the land and all of his officials. Verse 2 indicates that such a return to righteousness brings about moral and spiritual refreshment to the nation. Referring to King Hezekiah and his godly reign of righteousness, we are told that he “will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, he will be like streams of water in the desert, like the shadow of a great rock in a dry land.” The righteous rule of king Hezekiah would prove to be a refuge for the oppressed and refreshment to their souls. Verses 3-4 indicate that the people themselves become characterized by a renewed spiritual perception (understanding) and responsiveness; the condition of spiritual blindness, gullibility and apathy (as described in verse 5) is completely reversed.
5. When the Lord pours out His Holy Spirit in revival does that act usher in the kingdom of God, or does it only provide a temporary foretaste of that eternal kingdom?
When the Lord pours out His Holy Spirit in revival what results is a foretaste of heaven. The righteousness of God is exalted in the land and in the lives of His people; the Lord draws near and dispenses the blessings that result from righteousness. But note that such times are only a taste of heaven. The nation and the world are not permanently transformed into the kingdom of God—that must await the day of Christ’s return. On the contrary, the church of Christ is increased and fortified to withstand what still lies ahead in this world before that final day of judgment and glory.
