It Will Hail When The Forest Comes Down

Here are some verses I had underlined in my Bible some time ago but felt led to share today.


Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,

And the wilderness becomes a fertile field,

And the fertile field is considered as a forest.


Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

And righteousness will abide in the fertile field,

And the work of righteousness will be peace,

And the service of righteousness quietness and confidence forever.


Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation,

And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places;


And it will hail when the forest comes down,

And the city will be utterly laid low.


How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,

Who let out freely the ox and the donkey.  Isaiah 32: 15 - 20


Isaiah prophesies above about the coming of Messiah. He will restore all things including the land but in that restoration there is to be judgment. The sense here is not just about land. It is also about restoring the hearts of man.

I find in these verses an application for revival. Indeed it is my prayer that the Father would pour the Spirit out upon us and our land in a new and powerful way.

When the Spirit is poured out the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest.. There is a transition here, from wilderness to fertile field, but then again from fertile field to forest. So what's up with that?

I see the wilderness as being our society. It has institutions, forms and structures, cities and village, all intertwined with the lives of the men and women who make up the whole.  The fertile field is the potential of the changed heart of man when the Spirit is poured out.  When the hearts of men are changed the land that we live in becomes that much less a wilderness.

But even though we see the promise of justice dwelling in the wilderness and righteousness abiding in the fertile field we also see the fertile field becoming a forest. Sure, one can grow things in a fertile field and one of those options could be trees, but what a waste.

The forest represents the pride of man. Hail represents the judgment of God. The city represents where ever it is that men live together in their pride. Revival will come when the Spirit of God lays low the pride of man, when the trees of the forest are stripped of their branches and the land and the people can be truly ready to bear the fruit of the Spirit. And it will hail when the forest comes down, and the city will be utterly laid low.

Look at the wonderful promise that ends the chapter. There is a prohibition in the Old Testament about plowing with an ox and donkey yoked together. Plowing is work and plowing with those two together would be like almost impossible work. And yet what is the picture we see? It is not one of plowing, of putting in a lot of work for little return. The animals are let loose, the seed is sown, a good return is promised. How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters. Who let out freely the ox and the donkey. 

Last week while driving I noticed a very faded bumper sticker. All the color was gone but you could still make out the outline showing the World Trade Center with the words, "Remember 911".

A 16 year old girl that I tested this week spent part of her summer visiting family who lived just outside New York City. One day they went into the city and this girl was very excited to have gone to the top of the new building(s) that replaced the ones destroyed by the terrorists back in 2001. I asked her if she was able to go through the 911 museum at the bottom and the answer was no. I was surprised because that didn't seem to be something that even interested her.

But of course, just like the irony suggested by the faded bumper sticker this young driver had no direct memories of that fateful day. Her mother, riding along in the back, told me exactly where she was and all about an uncle who worked at the Trade Center but was home sick that day and an aunt who worked in the city and had to walk all the way home that night. For her and for me this was more than recalling an event that happened 14 years ago. The images and emotions were seared into our memories.

Many felt that the events of 911 would permanently change the psyche of the average American. Our country was attacked, we felt first hand and up close what it would be like to be at war with radical Islam, something most knew little of and cared about even less. For the first couple of weeks attendance at churches soared and all news outlets ran story after story, video after video of what had happened.

The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the last intended target that ended up in a Pennsylvania field, the White House, were all symbols of American pride. They represent our financial system, our military and our political process. We have been blessed in all three areas but we must remember that blessings can be removed as quickly as they are given.

We pray for revival, but what might that mean? When the hail comes it will destroy forest and city. Perhaps, if the Lord delays, something is needed for a true national revival. And sometimes, revival comes, and then the hail. What ever, here is the promise if the Spirit is poured out, and it is good;

And righteousness will abide in the fertile field,

And the work of righteousness will be peace,

And the service of righteousness quietness and confidence forever.