Isaiah 34 pronounces judgment on the nations. The LORD tells the nations that He will destroy them. Particular desolation is pronounced on Edom. We’re told the entire nation will become a “nature preserve.” While Isaiah doesn’t put it in those terms. He tells us of all the wild animals that will take over the land, because Edom will be no more.
Isaiah 35 announces the restoration of the land of Israel. While the place names are cities mainly in northern Israel and include Lebanon, the promises are that all people will be restored. The blind will receive sight, the deaf will hear, the lame will jump for joy. The land will also be restored. The dry land will be made fruitful once again. Having recently returned from Israel, I can picture the places named, and also the arid nature of the land. The promised future is one every Israeli longs to see.
In Isaiah 36, Isaiah records the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib of Assyria. The Assyrians take the cities surrounding Jerusalem and then come against Jerusalem.Their leader calls out to the people of Jerusalem to surrender. He promises if they will surrender, each will be able to go to his own home with his own vineyard. Otherwise, each will face a tortured end to their lives. The Assyrians planned to starve the Israelites as they waited outside the city. But the leaders of Israel did not answer the Assyrians, because they were told not to by King Hezekiah. As the chapter ends, the leaders go to Hezekiah in sackcloth telling him of their dire situation.
As we return to John 2, we find three main events. First, Jesus and His disciples attend a wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother asked Him to do something. Jesus seemed unwilling at first, because “His time had not yet come. Even so, He intervened in the situation and turned a great deal of purified water into wine. This was His first miracle. We’re told when His disciples saw it, they believed in Him. Next, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and went to the Temple. While He was there, He noticed the moneychangers who were taking advantage of the people who had come from out of town. He upset the moneychangers’ tables and condemned them for turning the Lord’s house into a den of thieves. The final event is the religious leaders asked Jesus why He thought He had the authority to do such a thing, and asked for a sign to show He did. Jesus told them if they tore down the “Temple,” He would rebuild it in three day. They thought He was speaking of the Jerusalem Temple, which had taken forty-six years to build to that point. He was talking about His body, and He would eventually come through on that promise!