The Enemy’s Mountain
The Enemy’s Mountain.
“For I, Yahweh, your God, I grasp you by your right hand; I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid, for I shall help you.” Do not be afraid, house of Jacob, you dear, scarlet worm! You little handful of Israel! I shall help you, declares Yahweh. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I am making you into a sharp threshing board with double teeth, a new threshing instrument with two sharp edges. You will thresh the mountains and mow them down, and reduce the hills to straw. You will toss them into the air and the wind will carry them off; the whirlwind will scatter the straw; whereas you will rejoice in Yahweh, and you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 41:13-16).
Prophecies in the Hebrew Bible. It seems that most of the time in the Old Testament, when God spoke His word through a prophet, it was like a two-stage rocket: The prophecy is meant to be fulfilled in an immediate future sense and in a distant future sense. It wasn’t a matter of sooner or later, prophecy was meant to be fulfilled sooner and later. Notice in this prophetic word from Isaiah that it was fulfilled both sooner and later, in the life of the Israelites as well as later in the messianic age with Jesus and His followers.
Fear Among the Exiles. After many years of life as exiles, the Israelites start to hear rumors of an overpowering force ready to take over their new home in Babylon. Understandably, the Jews are nervous about this and wondering what’s going to happen to them in the process of these frightening Persians taking over? Yahweh reassures His people that He will stay right with them, will help and defend them. Yahweh confirms that he will never forget His covenant with His chosen people of Abraham, and He will surely strengthen them in the midst of what is about to occur. In fact, Yahweh promised that He would liberate them and free them from their bondage.
Cyrus. Sure enough, this new power taking over is Cyrus, the Persian king who was under the supervision of Yahweh. As expected in God’s eyes, in the very first year of his reign in Babylon, around 540 BC, Cyrus instructed the exiles to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. To help them in that process, Cyrus removed all the gold and silver Temple pieces that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and gave these articles to the resettling Jews (Ezra 5). Isaiah quoted Yahweh as saying that Cyrus was God’s “shepherd,” performing what God desires (Is. 45:28). Yahweh then made it clear through His prophet Isaiah that Cyrus was God’s “anointed, who I have taken by the right hand.” (Is. 45:1), even though he wasn’t necessarily a God-fearer. It was Cyrus, then, who was assigned by Yahweh the responsibility of freeing the Israelites from Babylon and allowing them to return to their homeland. It was Cyrus, the pagan king, who encouraged God’s chosen people to rebuild their God-centered culture in their own land 500 miles away.
Fear: dread or alarm in facing danger; to be afraid or apprehensive; anxiety caused by belief in approaching danger or by a perceived threat; feeling frightened concerning one’s safety or a loved one’s well-being; unpleasant emotions due to the likelihood of something unwelcome or undesirable; trepidation over unexpected crisis. The fear experienced by the exiled Jews is of course not a foreign experience to any of us. We are living in the 21st century, 2024, and fear is in the air we breathe. We nonetheless try our best to survive in this firmly established climate of fear. Consider the many causes of fear this day: the breakdown of the family; pandemics; terrorism; climate change; a seeming moral breakdown in society; old age; extreme weather; tragic violence; educational chaos; the diminishing of parental influence; international conflict; nuclear weapons; the disparagement of absolute truth; racial unrest. For Christians, we can add the fear of spiritual warfare on our loved ones and on our culture. Many of us have more private fears, such as crime, hunger, unemployment, and subsistence survival. So Yahweh’s words of comfort to the exiles in this passage in Isaiah are no less intended for us as well: “You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look all around you, for I am your Elohim, your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:9-10).
Behold! There are some individual words and short phrases in Scripture that need to be highlighted as they are read, words or phrases that are significant or point to something meaningful. The word Behold! in Isaiah 41:11 introduces this section, and is one of those significant words, an exclamation that is intended to get our attention… Listen, people, this is something you need to hear! Behold says to the audience, Look at this and take note! You would be wise to remember these words and think about them! Careful now, don’t be deaf to what I am about to say! Stop what you’re doing and listen up! As the Eastern Orthodox Christians say before they read the Gospel in the Liturgy… Attend! Attend!
The Scarlet Worm. The “worm” term is often used by Yahweh as a term of endearment, but more importantly, this is no ordinary worm! There is an amazing backstory to this particular worm referred to in Isaiah 41:14. The brilliant red dye used by the Israelites in everything from the Tabernacle gate to the robe of the high priest, was an animal-based dye, and not a plant-based dye. The dyes coming from animals were brighter, more vivid, and were permanent. Dyes based on plants were short-lived and washed out rather quickly. The Lord wanted the colors to remain for all time. And here is the scarlet worm story: There was a small worm, or grub that the Israelites discovered when they were in the Sinai desert. This tiny worm the size of a pea is called the “shani”, which means scarlet red. This color is named after both the worm and the color it produces. As amazing as this story is, the history of the shani is completely true. When the female shani becomes pregnant, it climbs the nearest tree and buries itself into the bark so it is protected. The female will then give birth to its young, and the mother proceeds to die. During the birthing process and death, the female bleeds a bright red scarlet color, making the tree appear as if it’s bleeding. At the death of the mother shani, the newly birthed young feed on the dead mother until they are mature enough to crawl down the tree and live their lives. The dead mother’s body is still able to produce the bright red color when it is crushed during the dying process. The shani, the scarlet worm, continue to thrive in the Sinai desert to this day. This reference to the scarlet worm in Isaiah is messianic, and refers to the blood of Jesus. It is astounding that Jesus on the Cross, when reciting Psalm 22, most probably continued to cry out the psalm after the first verse, and Jesus certainly recited verse 6: “I am a shani worm, and not a man!” Jesus knew the story of the shani, and He is declaring that He will offer His life, His blood sacrifice, to give birth to new lives around the world. Jesus Christ is our shani worm.
Redeemer. This term in v. 14 uses the word “go-el” for redeemer. This term refers to the relative in a person’s extended family who discovers any kinfolk who is in prison or in some type of bondage due to indebtedness. The redeemer is the deliverer, the one who pays off the debts of the relative in order to set the kin free. The redeemer is also obligated to protect anyone in his family who cannot protect himself after that liberation. This term was of course picked up later as a beautiful description of what God did for the Israelites, and what Jesus did for His followers. Jesus is our Redeemer, liberating all those who are in spiritual debt and then remaining alongside us as we are able to move in freedom.
There is a Redeemer by Sarah Groves lyrics (youtube.com)
The Threshing Sledge. This ancient threshing instrument was a simple wooden board with sharp pieces imbedded in it, that was then rolled over the harvested grain in order to separate the seed from the stalk, the wheat from the chaff, the usable from the unusable. The sharp points were referred to as “teeth,” and were usually pieces of metal or sharp stones. Threshing was an art form in the farming business that had to be mastered, or they wouldn’t eat or be able to sell their grain. Yahweh is telling the Israelites, and us, that He will make them into a highly efficient instrument that will be able to separate the good from the bad, the helpful from the unhelpful, the righteous from the evil. The fact that God’s threshing boards will be new and sharp, not old and dulled, and that the board will have a double row of sharp teeth, means that His threshing boards will be effective for His purposes. As we face the inevitable adversities of life, the challenges that loom over us and cast a shadow, it’s hard work to pick up our threshing board and gradually mow that challenge down to nothing. It seems that we would be wise to ask God for the strength to climb our mountains, and then while at the top begin the process of threshing that mountain down to size. That is what it means to truly conquer the mountain.
Mountains and Hills. The mountain was a versatile image in the Bible… an enemy nation; the stability of God; the safety of refuge; the presence of an overpowering adversity or challenge. In this case, it seems that Yahweh will strengthen His followers as they take on a formidable enemy, as they challenge an intimidating obstacle that is set against them. Yes, the Israelites faced a lot of opposition when they returned to their homeland to rebuild their life and culture and faith. But Yahweh promised His strength and help to overcome that mountain. God will enable His followers, He said, to overpower the enemy and be victorious as they thresh the mountain, as they mow down that huge hill and throw their remnants in the wind. Because of Yahweh’s righteous hand, the Israelites will bring those mountains down, reduce them to nothing, subduing them so that they will inevitably be thrown into God’s whirlwind and blown away.
Spiritual Warfare. God’s threshing boards with its double-edged cutting teeth remind us of the Word of God with its double-edged blade, (Hebrews 4:12), a “sword that penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The threshing process in a spiritual sense is a picture of spiritual warfare, and is based upon using the Scripture to separate what God wants from what He rejects, the spiritual wheat from the chaff. As we thresh, speaking and acting out of God’s words from His mouth is vital, as opposed to speaking out of our own mouths. Isaiah’s prophecy is still being acted out now as we seek to thresh the enemy’s mountain in our spiritual life. We ask the Lord to help us wield the Sword of the Spirit, the double-edged threshing board, as we do battle. This offensive weapon, the Spirit-Sword, is our reference point of truth, so sharp that it can help us cut between truth and deception. It can help us separate the substantive meat of God’s message from the fatty distractions. The Sword can cut away the foolishness that the devil tries to feed us from the true wisdom of the Lord. The Word-Sword can help us divide the eternal knowledge of God from the lies of that ignorant devil. The Spirit-Sword can go far in helping us distinguish the righteous mind of God from the warped mind of Satan. The Word can reveal to us what is life-giving and what is death-dealing. The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of the Lord, is truly a “weapon of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 6:7). Our holy weapon of God’s Word can penetrate any type of resistance in the demonic realm. The Word of the Lord stands forever.
The Threshing Board on Offense. Other words that were used to describe the work of the sharped-toothed threshing sledge was to pulverize, to crush, to mow down, bring to nothing, reduce to dust, to flatten. One gets the strong sense that God is asking us to go on the offensive in our spiritual threshing. Our threshing instrument, the Spirit-Sword, is an aggressive weapon against a merciless enemy in the demonic realms. We are instructed to “pull down strongholds” and “cast down arguments” that are contrary to the knowledge of God. (2 Cor. 10:3-5). This is spiritual threshing, because “pulling down” is a violent action and “casting down arguments” means our minds need to be sharp, like the Sword of the Word. Jesus was not passive or uncertain or intimidated during His Temptation with the devil. He didn’t hesitate to thrust the Dagger of the Lord at the devil, the Scripture-Sword that can stand up to any kind of assault thrown at it. The devil didn’t stand a chance against the eternal Word of God. There is a righteous violence as we fight our evil and unseen enemy, as we repudiate their lies with the truth. When we refuse to accept the cruel deceptions of Satan, we are in effect threshing the enemy’s mountain. In this spiritual warfare, it is good versus evil, and there is no room for compromise or passivity.
Rejoice. The Hebrew word used here in v. 16 is “giyl.” This is a Hebrew word of praise that describes a delightful physical expression of joy. Giyl literally means to jump for joy; to spin around in joy; to greatly rejoice; to be exceedingly glad. Giyl is used about 45 times in the Old Testament, and is the usual word for “rejoice.” One can easily imagine David swirling and spinning like a top in front of the Ark. (1 Chronicles 15). Other expressions of pure giyl in the Hebrew Bible:
(1.) David Overcome with Joy. Once again, here is David exulting before the Lord. “I have trusted in your mercy and am confident in your lovingkindness, Lord; my heart shall rejoice (giyl) and be in high spirits in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:5-6).
(2.) A Psalmist Exults in Joy before God. How is this for an interesting combination of actions before our Lord in worship? “Serve the Lord with reverent awe and worshipful fear; rejoice in high spirits (giyl), with trembling before Him.” (Psalm 2:11).
(3.) Creation Itself is Overcome with Joy. There is no doubt that all the aspects of created nature praises God in their own special way. Worship Him with reverent fear, all the peoples of the earth; the world also shall be established so it cannot be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice (giyl), and let all people say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea roar, and all the things that fill it; let the fields rejoice (giyl), and all that is in them. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out for joy before the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 16:30-33).
(4.) God Rejoices Over Each of Us. “The Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior, a warrior who brings triumph. He will exult over you, taking delight in you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, renewing you, soothing you, and calming your fears. He will rejoice (giyl) over you, dancing with joyful songs as in the day of festival.” (Zephaniah 3:17).
With this in mind, the conclusion to this section of the passage in Isaiah 41:16 couldn’t be better: “You will rejoice (giyl) in Yahweh and glory in the Holy One of Israel!” That’s right, while the unusable shards of the enemy’s mountain is swirling away into nothingness in God’s whirlwind, we are twirling around in the joy of the Lord.
How can anyone not dance to this song and video!
Charity Gayle – Rejoice (Live) (youtube.com)